Step by step
by littlebadhero
Summary: One step forward, two steps back. Falling, getting up and trying again. These are the first steps of a toddler. And the steps of two adults falling in love again. Teachers love good-looking daddies. AxC, OOC, HEA.
1. Chapter 1

**Official statement:** This story has no connection to the story "ABCs of Love" by xxrougekissxx. The only aspects we share are that Ana is a kindergarten teacher and Christian is the parental guardian of one of her students. But to give her credit, I can officially state that the idea of Kindergarten teacher Ana was firstly used by her. The rest of my story is fresh out of my own crazy head.

 **AU story. No BDSM. Just fluff. A little bit of drama to keep things interesting. No CEO Christian. HEA planned.**

 **Disclaimer:** **Not my characters, no money earned. Kindergarten teacher Ana idea reused by me. A little bit betaed... by me.**

 **If you are wondering why I am uploading another story, even though I have four other unfinished ones waiting for me, then don't. Because I don't know why I am doing this. Fun? Torture? For the kids? No idea.**

 **For you, maybe ;)**

 **Thank God, one of the other stories is going to end soon, though.**

 **Have fun xo**

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 **Step by step**

 **Summary:** One forward, two steps back. Falling, getting up and trying again. These are the first steps of a toddler. And the steps of two adults falling in love again. Teachers love good-looking daddies. AxC, OOC, HEA.

 **1\. From peacocks and teachers**

Like sardines in a can, they were crammed together, their eyes not blinking for one second, their lips curled. They had put on their most chic clothes, appropriate enough to be worn in the middle of the day, but still slutty enough to be worn by a college party-goer. Their hairdos were freshly done, probably at Franco's, a hairstylist nearby, their heads featuring the newest and not so newest hairstyles. Their cars, mostly vans, were parked nearby , one of them shinier and cleaner as the other one. They smelled of freshly baked cookies, with the precision of a five-star chef cooked meatloaf, and the heavy smell of detergent. Everything about them screamed perfection, from the way their hair was done to the shiny leather of their shoes, from head to toes nothing was out of place. In fact, they all seemed a little too perfect, like dolls made out of porcelain, each dressed up for the one and same thing: leaving a good – no, a perfect- impression.

I looked down at my white button down shirt, the top buttons missing, and my light jeans, comparing my clothes to the polished ladies standing at the gates. The worn Converse on my feet were comfortable, even if they weren't the latest fashion trend. Comparing to the mannequin like women outside the building, I was a plain Jane, a typical wallflower in between exotic roses and orchids. Before I started working at _Mrs' Williams kindergarten,_ I had never been intimidated by anyone just because of their clothes or their wealth. I always had thought I was one of these independent ladies who did their own thing without caring about snobby people's opinion, and in some way I still was one of them, but since I started working as a teacher for the wealthy clientele of Bellevue's most exclusive kindergarten, I felt more out of place than I had ever felt before. Normally, I never would have dared to start working at an establishment like this, the thought of being a part of the high society world always had mortified me, but real life and college tuition made me desperate and since I needed the money I earned like air to breath, I had gladly submitted my application when I heard that they were looking for a new teacher. Even though my major had been British Literature, I had easily gotten the job thanks to one of my professors whose kid used to go to _Mrs' Williams,_ but until then I had done lots of waitressing and babysitting. I even hadn't been able to afford my flat and had to share a small apartment with four other people.

I had never liked kids that much to be honest. I guessed that they were cute and stuff, but I had never thought about having a few of my own, let alone work at a kindergarten. Kids usually found me boring, maybe because I was too stern and serious all the time. I couldn't draw like some of my colleagues who gathered the kids' love by drawing them pictures of their favorite heroes and heroines. I couldn't sing or play an instrument and I certainly didn't have the patience to learn it. I certainly couldn't play dress up games or play games on stage, I was more behind the scenes, preparing costumes and decorating the stage. What I could do was reading, I could read the kids tons of fairytales, never getting bored of reading the same things over and over again – at this point, I knew the whole story of _Frozen_ by heart -, even though my audience was small, I had my fun. I just wished that more kids were interested in books.

"Look at those hens." My colleague and dear friend, Andrea, said suddenly. I hadn't noticed her, I had been too busy with aforementioned hens, my task to tidy up the toys area in the _Blue elephants room_ – our students were divided into different groups, each group had an animal as their mascot- neglected because I had been too busy with starring at the Bellevue mums waiting to pick up their kids. I hold a stuffed dolphin in one hand and a stuffed lion in the other as I nod at my friend. I didn't like gossiping about the parents of our pupils as much as she did, it felt wrong, even though I knew that Andrea meant no harm. It was just daily chatter, nonsense and probably inappropriate at work, but it was something everyone did to make the boring day a little more scandalous.

"Can you believe them? Dressed up like this to pick up their kids? My mum used to come in sweatpants and her old _Guns n' Roses_ shirt. She was basically rocking my college outfit back in the 90's." Andrea whispered to me as she helped me picking up the stuffed animals from the floor. We put them in the square wooden boxes placed on the short shelves.

"My dad picked me up." I only said, not wanting to elaborate since speaking about personal things never had been my cup of tea, especially not during work.

"Of course, I didn't attend a fancy kindergarten. Mine was at a local church." She went on, inspecting a stuffed lamb which's left ear was missing.

"I bet that Stanley kid destroyed this." She mumbled before throwing the lamb into the wooden box.

"We should speak to Leila, probably. He is destroying lots of things. I had read somewhere that kids try to let out their anger this way because they can't express it in another way." I told her, thinking about the broken trains and cars I had to throw away last week because Stanley had been a little too rough while playing with them. Andrea snorted and shook her head.

"I will tell you exactly what Leila would tell you. He is just a spoiled kid who doesn't know the value of stuff because his parents keep replacing broken toys instead of teaching him that he won't be rewarded for mistakes in real life, too." She was right. I could imagine Leila, our boss, saying those exact words. She was probably right, maybe I was just too careful.

"We should still keep an eye on him, though." I mumbled.

"You do that, Ana. If you notice something serious, then keep me up to date." Andrea wasn't as over cautious as me, probably because she worked longer at _Mrs' Williams_ than me and with years, she had gotten enough experience to know the students and their parents. We cleaned up the toys area quickly before leaving the _Blue elephants room_ to go outside to the playground where the kids were spending the last hour of their day. Their squeals and screams could be heard from miles away, the slides and swings squeaking underneath their weight, the sandpit a chaotic mess with colorful shovels and buckets in small size. At the last minute, I could prevent a five year old boy with messy, red curls from eating a fistful of dirty sand. Andrea and I stood by the sandpit, taking over our colleagues' watch. When watching little kids mess up the easy task of building a sandcastle bored me, my eyes instinctively swept over to the gates I had been watching out of the window, where the polished mums were waiting for their kids. Just when I asked myself why these ladies were so overly punctual, I got my answer.

The red truck droned as it turned the corner, stopping at one of our parking spots, before the driver side door got opened with a loud squeak. The ladies immediately turned their heads toward the truck, their faces flushed with a wide smile on their painted lips, their racks suddenly pushed out. They puffed themselves, showing off every inch of their perfected attire just like peacocks. I watched them in awe, wondering how they did it, I had never been that confident to show off myself. I was so fascinated by them and their confidence, that I nearly missed the reason for their peacock behavior. Heavy boots made contact with the pavement, kicking off a pebble stone, making it fly a few inches before it landed on the floor with a _tud._ Long, jeans clothed legs carried their owner with a confident walk, a wallet peeking out of the right pocket in the back. The upper body was dressed in a blue plaid shirt with its buttons open, a white t-shirt underneath flattering the strong muscles. A long neck lead to a sharp jaw, high cheekbones, pouty lips and piercing gray eyes. A mess of dark-copper curls was crowning his head, I thought the phrase _just fucked hair_ had never been more fitting.

"Ladies." The good-looking man said as he passed the mums, tipping an imaginary hat at them. Immediately a soft wave of giggles and swoons could be heard from them, his charismatic smile probably causing a few wet panties. He walked up to a pillar next to the entrance and leaned against it with crossed arms as he waited for his kid.

Now I knew why these ladies were always looking like they stepped out of a magazine.

"Look at that DILF." Andrea whispered to me. I gave her a warning look, not wanting to be caught speaking about a parent in an inappropriate way. She just rolled her eyes at me.

"Don't be so tight. We are allowed to look."

"He seems to have lots of fans." I nod toward the giggling hens, wondering why married women bothered to check up another man who was married, too – probably. Even if he wasn't married, he got a kid.

"These are not just any fans, Ana. These are the grown-up equivalent of crazy Justin Bieber fan girls. They would fight over him in a mud pit if their kids weren't close by." Andrea told me as she leaned down to dab away sand from her knees after a girl with blonde pigtails had accidentally thrown some her way.

"His poor wife must feel awful." I said with a frown, feeling awkward for looking at him longer than a second, pitying the woman waiting for him at home. I would hate it if somebody looked longer at my man than it was actually polite.

Andrea chuckled.

"He got divorced last year. Apparently his wife cheated on him. Why would you cheat on a man like that?"

I suspected that she was one of the crazy fans, too.

"Why would anyone cheat on anyone?" I corrected her. She rolled her eyes at me, her hands at her hips.

"You know what I mean. I'm just saying if she met a better looking guy than him, I want to be a part of her circle. The only men I met are either average looking assholes who think of themselves as God or not even average looking assholes who think of themselves as God. You have to confess that the dating world lacks of men like him." Andrea said, nodding toward the entrance area at the gates. I wouldn't know. I had stopped giving dates a try long time ago.

"Who the hell is he anyway?" I asked her out of sheer curiosity, wanting to put a name on his face.

"Mr. Christian Grey. He has a daughter, Ellie. She is attending Olivia's class."

Olivia was one of our less favorite colleagues, her pettiness and arrogance reminded me of the typical Queen B's of high-school. Everyone was done with her, including our boss. It was a matter of time until Leila found a loophole in her contract, I knew for a fact that she was desperately looking for one.

"Never heard of him." I said, crossing my arms at my chest, unintentionally copying his posture.

"That's because you live under a rock." The _duh_ was thick in her voice, she also sounded a little accusing. Since the day she and I had become friends a year ago, she had tried everything to persuade me to attend her weekly outings – drinks at the local bar with the newest gossip of Bellevue. I had given her offers a try a couple of times, but I had decided to spend my Friday nights doing something else than drinking an unnecessary amount of alcohol while gossiping like little tattletales. I wasn't judging her or her gang, it just wasn't my scene.

"Okay, I have to confess that he never has picked his daughter up this much before. Usually, his mother who lives close by would pick her up. But in the last few months, he was spotted daily at the gates being his charming self." She went on, brushing a strain of hair back behind her ear, her blonde bob combed back.

"Then it's not weird that I haven't noticed him before." I shrugged my shoulders.

"How can you not notice a man like him?" She stressed the word _not,_ looking at me with a raised eyebrow. It was my turn to roll my eyes at her.

"I'm sorry for actually concentrating on my job."

"Where is the fun in that?" She answered back, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Come on, let's gather the kids."

It was a difficulty to get over sixty kids stop playing, but we managed somehow. After a wild round of putting the right kid into the right jacket and getting them their backpacks, we gathered the kids in the hall before the big glass doors to sing our daily goodbye song with them, before opening the doors. Like a wild swarm of buzzing bees, the kids, differing from age three to seven , ran out toward their mum's and dad's – apart from the good-looking Mr. Grey, there were a few other fathers - , excitedly telling them about their day and earning a bored look from their parents. I couldn't blame them, I knew how much these little kids could talk.

"Goodbye, Miss Steele." A Brunette little girl said to me, waving her chubby hand, the two front teeth missing in her smile.

"See you tomorrow, Susan." I said, waving back while her mum gave me a polite smile. She was one of the ladies in Mr. Grey's crazy fan club. I tried to come up with a name for said club, but nada. Unintentionally, my eyes roamed the crowd and looked for the good-looking man among the polished hairdos and neatly clothed ladies. I found him standing a few feet away from me, bent down face to face with a strawberry blonde haired little girl, I guessed that she was four or five years old, trying to squeeze her into her purple jacket – a difficulty since she was excitedly telling him a story while gesticulating with her hands. He laughed at whatever she said, kissing her on her cheek after he managed to put on her jacket. Unlike the other parents , he didn't rush, he waited patiently and let her tell her story. It seemed like he was genuinely interested in what she said. When her nose run, he got a tissue out of his pocket to wipe her nose. After she finished her story, which she had told with pride and seriousness, he got up and reached for her hand, her backpack hanging over one of his shoulders. Before they could walk away, the little girl turned around to wave at one of her friends, making him turn around too in the process.

Our eyes met. His gray ones starring at my blue ones with such an intensity that it nearly knocked my socks off. I blushed heavily, my cheeks burning with the blood underneath my skin, my heart fluttering unexpectedly against my chest. I bit my lip, unable to look away. The only polite thing to do after bluntly looking at his face was giving him a smile, before turning my head away. The blush didn't leave my cheeks, though. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I felt his stare on my face. It intimidated me as much as it infuriated me. I didn't know why he was still looking at me, I knew how rude it had been to stare at him, did he really have to make me taste my own medicine.

When he didn't stop starring, I dared another look after saying bye to another student of mine. I used the excuse of waving at the little boy when I looked at Mr. Grey's way. He was still starring at me as he waited for his daughter who was excitedly talking to one of her friends. She was a rather bubbly girl, it seemed.

This time, he was the one smiling at me.

To make matters worse, he winked at me.

Even though I hadn't noticed Mr. Grey until today, I was certain that he noticed me the very first day we met.

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 **Thoughts?**

 **Melii out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Look who is back ;)**

 **Thanks for reviewing and stuff. Your love is very much appreciated.**

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 **2\. From kitties and beasts**

"Olivia is out."

I looked up from my notes – a chaotic mix of a to do list and remarks about my pupils – and raised an eyebrow at Andrea. She was standing at my table with a Cheshire cat grin on her lips and her hands at her hips.

"Really?" I asked, the news surprising even though it was expected. Leila had told me just a week ago that she was tired of Olivia's constant arrogance just because she was friends with a few high society mums. Our former boss, Leila's mother, had employed Olivia many years ago, unaware of the dragon brewing inside her chest, Olivia's sweet smile too angelic.

"Yep." She popped the p, waggling her eyebrows. "Leila is throwing a party, by the way. The whole staff is invited."

I frowned, no matter how intolerable Olivia was, it still was rude to throw a party as soon as she left.

"Don't frown." Andrea warned me with a finger raised toward me. "It's a nice, friendly _yay we got rid of the bitch_ kind of party. It only can be fun."

I tried not to doubt that.

"Wait. What will happen to her class?" I asked, wondering where they will put the ten children of her class.

"Leila said we would have to divide them into our classes. That would mean two kids for each." She didn't sound pleased. "I don't know how that will work in the middle of the year."

"It's just two kids, Andrea. It's not like we are teaching them physics." I said with a shrug, guessing two more kids couldn't do much harm. It just meant another pair of hands I had to keep away from unauthorized use of scissors and glue. My boring and stern nature had a few advantages, I had my kids under control like nobody else. Usually my day consisted of having three hours with my pupils alone where I read them different books or helped them draw – as much as I could -, and afterward they spent the rest of the day at the playground or at the different rooms, each had an individual theme and toys. We spent most of the day mostly supervising them, helping them with their food at lunch time and preventing anyone from getting hurt. Around noon, the kids had one nap hour, which was also kind of a break for us teachers.

"Guess who is one of the kids who needs a new class?" Andrea said with a cheeky grin. It seemed like she was in an exceptionally good mood today.

"Who?" I asked, my eyes back on my notes. I needed to buy milk tonight, I noticed. Quickly I underlined my grocery list noted at the top right corner of the sheet.

"Ellie Grey."

The mention of the strawberry blonde haired girl let me stop my scribbling, the red pen in my hand squeaking against the paper thanks to my abrupt stop. I looked up at my friend, trying to look at her as disinterested as possible, even though the name Grey raised all king of red flags in my head. Christian Grey and his wink had left me curious and nervous, which infuriated me since I didn't want him to effect me at all. He was just another parent of the fifty pupils here at _Mrs' Williams._ At least, that was what I tried to tell myself.

"Yes, you heard that right. Leila fears that we will fight over her because of her daddy. I think she will put her in Jose's class, since he is a guy and he won't hit on Mr. Grey. Unless he decides to change teams, of course." Andrea went on, oblivious to my raging heart.

"Jose changing teams? That's impossible." I said with a mocking laughter, a desperate try to distract myself from my inner suffering. Our colleague was a welcomed distraction.

"He likes kitties too much to change teams, you are right." Andrea's lips curled into a smile.

"Andrea!" I hissed at her, looking around for innocent ears that might have heard our conversation. The last thing I needed were a bunch of kids who went home to their parents, telling them about kitties and cocks.

"What? They think we are talking about cats, anyway. No kid knows that kitty means… well, _kitty._ " She stressed the last word, nodding toward the bottom part of her body. I looked at her mortified, changing the subject immediately.

"When is Olivia's last day?" I asked her as I looked over the heads of my pupils, checking if they were alright and not playing around with scissors. Thank God, nobody had created a mess with the pencils. I remembered too well what happened last time when I turned my head away for two seconds. Louise's mum was still talking about the day, her daughter came back from kindergarten with her shirt full of colorful scribbles.

"Next Friday. That's when the party is. And before you can reject me, I won't accept a no from you. We need that party, Ana. We need to let out the beast inside you." Her voice was stern, this expression of hers usually only reserved for her students.

"I don't think there is a beast inside me. Maybe a tired kitty. And I'm speaking of an actual kitty and not a _kitty._ " My look made it clear of what kind of kitty I was talking about. Her grin got dirtier, something I feared whenever we were in public.

"Or maybe you need a beast inside your kitty."

"I can't believe you just said that." I gasped, blushing heavily.

"How long has it been? Two months? More?" She whispered, pursing her lips at me. "You need somebody to scratch your kitty because it might forget how good it feels."

6 months to be exact, I thought.

The last kitty scratching was with some guy I had managed to pick up from the bar thanks to Andrea's help and persuasion. It had felt weird and awkward, one-night stands weren't really my thing. Since then I had stopped looking for someone to scratch anything of mine, instead I focused on taking matter to my own hands. It certainly was easier than going on a men hunt and it brought less responsibility with itself.

"Can we please not talk about that here and now?" I hushed, biting my lip in embarrassment. Even though my pupils had no idea what we were talking about, it still felt weird talking about _my kitty_ near them, as if they could lose interest in their task of drawing a picture out of the blue and rather concentrate on our conversation about my non existent kitty scratching activities in the last few months.

"Fine. I need to check up on my kiddos, anyway. Leila had been nice enough to keep an eye on them. Laters." She threw me a kiss before she walked out of my classroom with an extra swing of her hips. Everything Andrea did was extra, maybe even seductive. She was a rather feminine woman, despite her short hairstyle, maybe even thanks to her hairstyle. Her clothes were always spectacularly chic, either a combination of a modern blouse and a suit pants or tight jeans with a simple shirt which she always wore with a blazer. Her hair was always combed back or in big curls around her face, often times she wore an accessory – today it was a hairband with a polka dot theme. But not just her clothes made her feminine, her whole attitude took care of that. From the way she talked to the way she walked, everything about her screamed femme fatale. In comparison to her, I had the sex appeal of a hobbit. I wasn't really tall, barely 5"6, and I wasn't that fit, my hips were full and round and if you put me in the wrong light, my legs totally featured cellulite. My breasts were a standard B-cup and my belly needed a punctual and daily jogging routine – it also needed less Cheetos. My brown hair was straightly falling to my upper back, when I was feeling especially lazy I put it in a messy ponytail. You could call my blue eyes pretty, but if you kept looking at them in the mirror for over twenty-five years, you would find them boring, too.

"Ms. Steele, I drew something for you." The soft voice of Alice, a four year-old girl with spiky black hair, interrupted my internal monologue. Her chin barely reached my desk, she stood on her toes to place the piece of paper she was holding onto my desk.

"Oh, thanks, Alice. This is.." The words got stuck in my throat as I looked down at the picture she had drawn.

A cat.

Was this the universe talking to me through the drawing of a four year-old?

Next Friday, I dutifully put on my party outfit – jeans, t-shirt, blazer and pumps – and my happy face, even though I would prefer watching a wild marathon of _The Big Bang Theory_ with a big bag of _m &m's _on my lap. Andrea picked me up right on time, which in her standards meant that she was forty-five minutes late. Her green Volvo was parked right outside my building.

"Hey, girlfriend." She greeted me when I hopped into her car. Her hair was curled, a shiny hair plug with flower ornaments hold it up at one side. She wore a black dress with black boots, her lipstick and her hair plug the only colorful things in her outfit. In comparison to me, she looked like a catwalk model. The drive to Leila's house took us another pair of twenty minutes since Andrea insisted on driving as slow as humanly possible, her boots not comfy enough to drive faster. When I asked her why she was wearing them, she gave me a long look – her signature for saying 'because they look awesome'. I had no argument for that.

"Welcome, girls." A tipsy Leila greeted us at the door, with a crooked, yellow baby-doll dress and a half empty – or half full, depended on how you looked at it – bottle of red wine. One of her shoes was missing, too. It seemed like the party was wild. She hugged as, telling us to eat and drink as much as we wanted because her new boyfriend had his own catering service, and he had been kind enough to sponsor tonight's beverages. Leila lead us to the crowded, loud living room where some of the most sophisticated people I knew were showing their less sophisticated sides. One would think that wild parties with awkward hookups and embarrassing wasted stories a la _Remember that time when Ana slept on her own puke_ wouldn't make it past college graduation, but the late twenties and the early thirties were like the Renaissance of college parties.

While Andrea got herself a Margarita and joined Nicole, our colleague, on the coffee table where they danced last week's stress off, I rummaged the buffet, delighted when I found mini pizzas. Leila was all over me as soon as she saw me sitting on one of her bar stools. She used the opportunity to introduce me to her new boyfriend, some guy called Seamus, and his very single – this information she practically screamed at me – cousin, Dean. He was a rather attractive, olive-skinned man in his late thirties with a goatee and glasses. Even though Leila's drunken try to hook me up annoyed me, I still enjoyed talking to Dean. He was an editor and he shared my obsession with Harry Potter. If he had caused a wild bunch of butterflies dancing around in my stomach just like the wink of a certain Mr. Grey had done, I would have called him my soul mate. Immediately, I wanted to punch myself for even thinking about Mr. Grey and his stupid wink.

I had done anything humanly possible to prevent a similar situation. Since the day, his wink knocked my socks off, I stayed inside at the end of the day, until I heard his red truck drive away. My students were sad – at least that was what they told me – that I didn't say goodbye to them anymore, but I was an overly cautious person. I didn't need to tempt fate, or worse, piss it off. I didn't like the feelings, Mr. Grey had caused – _lie –_ and I didn't want to feel them again – _another lie -_ , and if that meant that I had to stay away from him, then I would easily do that – _liar, liar, pants on fire_.

He is the father of one of the students, I told myself over and over again. Even if that wink probably didn't mean anything to him, it still was wrong that I interpreted so much into it. Olivia got fired because she was best friends with some of the high society mums – that and the fact that she was huge bitch. I didn't even want to imagine what would happen to me, if Leila found out that I was affected by a stupid, little wink.

 _He winked really beautiful, though._

I decided to drown that thought in a Margarita. Dean was kind enough to get me one, the only disadvantage of that was, that I was once again alone, which gave Leila another reason to pester me. Her poor boyfriend followed her like a puppy. She had interrupted a wild make-out session for me. I guessed that he was silently hating me.

"Ana. Ana. Ana." She said, as she threw one arm around my shoulders, nearly knocking me out in the process. After a wet kiss pressed on my cheek, her lipstick leaving a mark in the shape of her lips, she took a more serious posture.

"Our team is one man short, Ana." She said, sighing exasperatingly. "I don't have the nerve to find someone new, train her or him, and all that boring bureaucratic stuff."

I just nodded, not sure if she was actually in the shape to talk serious business. Her boyfriend threw me an equally doubtful look.

"Why don't you just enjoy your party tonight, hm?" I asked her, patting her hand. Leila just shook her head, a groan leaving her mouth.

"You all will have to share the kids. I planned it already, made a pro and contra list, you know that I love them, but kids are so annoying sometimes. Maybe I should just sell the business and start my career as an artist. I mean, I am good at what I do. Really. I am. I made a perfect five year plan, but stupid Olivia has to ruin it. Now these poor kids of hers will have to start in a new class, I already decided where to put them, but still.. Poor kids." She ended her ramble with a sad sigh, now leaving my side to go hug her boyfriend. He carried her away, probably hoping for another make-out session.

"Your drink, Ana." Dean said when he came back from the kitchen. "Sorry you had to wait."

Hours later when Dean got too drunk to keep discussing about Shakespeare's _Hamlet,_ I excused myself to the bathroom, thanking my bladder for the excuse. He had become a little too touchy for my liking. Just when I was passing Leila's home office on my way to the bathroom, I heard how a phone rang inside it. Since I was used to answer her phone calls, even the private ones, I opened the door to her office and picked up the phone on her desk. It was just an abandoned call, promising me that I won an iPhone 7. I hang up with an annoyed eye roll and when I angrily place Leila's phone onto her desk, my eyes landed on a manila folder placed on it. The words _staff adjustments_ were printed on it, her words from earlier nagging in my head. _I have decided where to put them_ , she had said, as in, she had decided in which class the kids of Olivia's former class were going to go.

I bit my lip when sheer curiosity begged me to take a look, just to know which kids would be attending my class as from Monday, a little preview never hurt. _Curiosity killed the cat_ , I thought, a desperate try to keep myself from taking a look, but I couldn't stop thinking that satisfaction brought it back. To hell with it, I thought with a frown. I dared a look, my eyes instinctively searching for my own name on that list, finding it on the left column of the chart. With a fluttering heart, I looked at the right column, where the names of my two, new students stood.

Joshua Kavanaugh.

And Ellie Grey.

 _Fuck._

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 **Until next time.**

 **Melii**


	3. Chapter 3

**This turned out longer than I had planned. So next chapter might be short.**

 **Thanks for the reviews and the love. 3**

 **NOT BETAED!**

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 **3\. From begetters and princesses**

Monday morning, I dragged myself out of my bed with the help of a cup of coffee as dark as my soul. Well, at least I tried to think of myself being cool enough to rock a dark soul and the grunge accompanying it. If you asked my nearest and dearest, they would probably tell you that I was a soft marshmallow inside. Hardcore wasn't something you could call me, even though I had a tough shell. My sternness was usually mistaken for superior strength, arrogance even, but most people didn't know that I had a soft side. I kind of sucked at showing emotions, to be honest. I experienced my feelings silently, the storms inside my chest never breaking out of my ribcage.

My breakfast contained a nearly burned toast and a bowl of _Froot Loops_ , in the background the noises of morning news disturbing the silence of my apartment. I very much enjoyed the silence, it was better than having four roommates. My phone chirped, announcing a new text message which I read while chewing on my toast. It was a text from my mum, wishing me good luck for my day with my new students. I had talked to her on Saturday, telling her about the recent news in my life and listening to her nagging about Bob, her new husband. Apparently, Bob was too much into golf now, a sport which my mum found very boring. I guessed that my mum was getting bored of their marriage already, like she always did in the end, but she was just looking for excuses. My poor mother hadn't found what she was looking for in her life, maybe her early marriage with my begetter was her greatest mistake. She didn't talk about him much, neither did I, but I knew she regretted meeting him. I tried not to think that maybe she even regretted giving birth to me.

Ha. I managed to think about such dark matters at 7am in the morning. That was pretty grunge and dark, right? It was also a nervous distraction from the obvious issues in the form of a handsome father with gray eyes and his cute, strawberry blonde daughter who happened to be one of my new students. I deliberately didn't even think about their names, the last thing I needed was a fluttering heart. I was nervous enough without my stomach doing flips.

 _You will be a super professional,_ I thought to myself as I got ready.

 _You will be a super duper professional,_ I corrected myself as I put on my best sweater – a peach colored thing I had bought months ago – over my white shirt which's collar I put over the neck of my sweater. Underneath it, I wore dark jeans and my brown, leather ballet flats. With one look at the girl in the mirror after I put on some mascara and light lip gloss, I decided I looked sophisticated enough for today. I tried not to over think my messy ponytail, it looked kinda crooked. I also tried not to over think the fact that I was suspiciously taking care of my appearance today. It sure had nothing to do with Mr. Wink – that sounded like a good way to dodge saying his name.

The drive to _Mrs. Williams'_ didn't take me longer than twenty minutes. When I arrived, I parked my baby blue Beetle at my usual parking spot. With last encouraging words at myself and a last check of my face at the rear-view-mirror, I left my car and walked toward the entrance, my purse hanging over my shoulder.

 _I'm not a marshmallow. I'm hardcore._

It was fascinating how easy you could lie to yourself and how easy you could actually believe these lies. But I was willing the risk of being a liar, if it helped me get through today. Leila had been nice enough to call me yesterday, informing me about today's course. At 8am sharply, my students would arrive to class like always, including the two new ones with their parents in tow. That meant that Christian Grey would be in my classroom at 8am. Damn. I thought about his name. They would stay for an hour before they left. I would introduce the kids as new students to the class, which felt redundant since they all knew each other already, but Leila insisted on it since it was a great method to make the new kids feel welcome or something. Then I would gather the kids to sit in a circle and make them play a little get-to-know-you game while the parents of the new kids watched. Great. As if I wasn't nervous enough without Mr. Wink's intense eyes watching me do my job.

Just when I was packing out my bottle of water, an apple and my notebook, Andrea knocked against my classroom's door, her happy voice startling me.

"Hey, girlfriend." She greeted me with her standard greet. "How you doing?"

"Hey, A. Fine, as always. You?" I asked her when she sat down at the edge of my desk, something I never would allow if my students were present. I didn't need them to get ideas about using their desks for sitting.

"Glad that the weekend is over. God, I nearly died of alcohol poisoning." She grimaced, probably remembering all the embarrassing things she had done at Leila's party. I had to nearly carry her out of Leila's house and since she had been unable to drive, I even had to drive her Volvo.

"Thanks for staying over on Friday, by the way." Andrea thanked me with a sweet smile.

"I couldn't leave you alone. Who knows what you would have done." I smirked at the thought of her drunken singing. She hadn't stopped until she fell asleep.

"I probably would have called my ex, begged him to fuck me and then I would have regretted it. Like I always do." Andrea groaned and shook her head. _Fucking Jamie_ , she mumbled underneath her breath, her ex usually only mentioned in combination with fuck, fucking or fucker – and on special occasions motherfucker. We chitchatted a little about the party and Dean's weird looking goatee, but she managed to lead our conversation to a topic I had tried to avoid.

"Ellie Grey in your class, huh?" She asked with a smug grin. "You lucky bitch."

"For a kindergarten teacher, you have a very dirty mouth. What would your mother say if she could hear you?" I answered, my cheeks reddening treacherously. Andrea just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you haven't noticed how hot her daddy is. You will get to see more of him than the rest of us, so you better get used to it. You know, parent teacher conferences, or when it's her birthday and he brings cake for the class, or when there is a matter to talk about. As I said, you lucky bitch."

I frowned at her, my super duper professional side needed to make an appearance.

"He is the father of one of my students. I don't see why I should be happy about seeing him. It's not like, I am happy to see Timothy Webber's father whenever he picks his son up. Why should Mr. Grey make me happy?" I said as professionally as possible, even though my heart skipped a beat when I spoke out his name.

"Timothy Webber's father isn't as good looking as Mr. Grey. Besides, you are allowed to look at newly divorced, single and good looking man." She said with a cocky smile. I hated that she had an argument for everything. The only way to stop her pestering was by reminding her that class would start soon and that she better went to her own classroom, instead of annoying me.

"You know I am right." Andrea said before throwing me a kiss and vanishing behind my classroom's door. I rolled my eyes at her. Around 7.45, some of the kids arrived, saying goodbye to their parents at the door before greeting me cheerfully. I tried to be as cheerful as them when I greeted them, too. It was hard to keep pace with those happy ball's of energy.

"Ms. Steele, our dog got puppies on Saturday." Little Timothy, who certainly wasn't as ugly as his father, told me excitedly, his dimples visible whenever he grinned. His green eyes glistened with excitement as he told me about the dozen puppies, describing each's fur with an admirable precision. I 'oohed' and 'aahed' at the right places, faking interest as I did so, but thankful that he gave me something to concentrate on. His squeaky voice as drowned by a powerful knocking on my door. I looked up, rudely interrupting Timothy in the process, but when I looked into the gray eyes of Mr. Grey, little Timothy's chitchat was easily forgotten. Stupid gray eyes and their stupid owner.

The tall, lean man was dressed in a dark green t-shirt, jeans and once again heavy looking boots. His daughter's pink, _Hello Kitty_ backpack hung over his shoulder, his arm's muscles flexed and beguiling. With his other hand, he hold his little girl's hand, his daughter scanning the room with curious eyes as he stared at me. I noticed that his dark-copper hair was hidden underneath a baseball cap of the Seattle Seahawks. He looked as good as the last time I saw him, maybe even better since he was closer now. Damn.

With an abrupt move, I got up from my seat, making my chair squeak on the linoleum floor in the process. It was a rather unattractive move which made my cheek flame with embarrassment, but I tried to ignore it as much as I could. Professional Ana needed to make an appearance, now more than ever.

"Hi." Did I just squeal? Dear God, please tell me that I didn't squeal. I walked up to them, his cologne filling my nostrils the closer I got, and bent down to greet my new student. I totally failed to ignore the fact that I was nearly face to face with Mr. Grey's crotch. _Don't look at it, Ana_ , I warned myself mentally, even though the temptation was as great as whatever Mr. Grey was hiding beneath these jeans. Great. Now I was thinking about his dick.

"You must be Ellie. I'm Miss Steele." I said, now not squealing, addressing the little girl with the strawberry blonde pigtails and the _Frozen_ shirt. She looked at me with a confident look, her smile teeth less on the front, as she bowed down in front of me like a graceful princess. She was so cute.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Steele. I'm princess Ellie of Grey." She said with a raised chin, her hands holding an invisible dress' hems.

"It's an honor to meet you, your majesty. Welcome to your new Kingdom." I giggled as I pointed toward the rest of the class.

"Please pick yourself a throne." I said, nodding toward the empty tables at the front. Leila had told me that it would be better to have the new kids sit at the front.

Ellie bowed down again, before she walked as graceful as possible toward her new throne. I noticed that she greeted her new friends also with her princess title as I stood up. Now I had to face the king of her Kingdom. His gray eyes were looking at me intensely, his smile knocking me off my socks once again. Politely, I hold my hand toward him, a handshake seeming like the right thing to do.

"Mr. Grey, it's nice to meet you." I said with a fake confident voice. He was nearly two heads taller than me, so he had to look down at me.

"Miss Steele, it's nice to meet you, too." His smile was taking no prisoners, even his teeth looked attractive. His hand felt strong and rough in mine, but it also sent millions of little buzzing waves through my skin. I could feel my blood rushing toward my cheeks and my chest, the skin on my neck and on my boobs also blushing.

"I'm sorry about the whole princess thing. She is watching too many Disney movies." He told me with an eye roll, his voice something between sensual and rough. I wondered if he could sing. I also wondered what happened to my plan not to let him affect me.

"Oh, it's not a problem. Lots of kids do that." I brushed it off nonchalantly, acting cooler than I actually was. My inside was doing flips, while my exterior was calm.

"I was so happy to hear that Ellie got into your class. Your students' parents speak highly of you, Miss Steele." He told me, making me blush harder. I was not a fan of compliments, I didn't know how to deal with them, to be honest.

"Would you like to sit down? You don't have to stand. I'm sure, the last student is on his way." I pointed toward my desk and the free chairs behind it, ignoring his compliment. He thanked me with a nod before he walked with heavy steps up to the chairs closest to my desk. With a male model like grace, he took off his baseball cap and went through his dark-copper hair with his long fingers as he sat down. I might have drooled a little.

 _Dammit, Ana. Stop oggling that man and concentrate on your freaking job._

I frowned at my own stupidity and turned toward my busy, loud class. Ellie Grey had already found friends, she was babbling and babbling with the kids around her, being a total social butterfly. God. Even a little kid had more confidence than me.

"Good morning, kids." I said loudly with a smile, earning an equal loud chorus of good morning wishes as the standing students finally sat down in their chairs. Big, innocent eyes were looking at mine, while I only could think about the gray ones looking at the back of my head. If we were in a comic, I was sure that a laser beam would pierce two holes into my head, his stare felt that intense.

"We have two new students. One of them you have already met, her name is Ellie. The other one, Joshua, will be here shortly. I want you to welcome them with a friendly smile, okay?" I said with a playful tone, my hands at my hips.

"He wants to be called Josh, Miss Steele." Little Alice, a girl with spiky black hair, chimed from the back of the classroom, her eager hand raised as she spoke. She was a rather intelligent little thing, my Harry Potter obsessed side always compared her to Hermione Granger.

"Then we will call him that. Thank you, Alice." I smiled at her pleased face, she loved being praised.

"Until Josh shows up, you can draw some pictures. Today's theme is a fairytale. Draw some princes fighting dragons, or princesses fighting dragons if you want to." I said, smiling at Ellie who looked at me with a gleeful look. I deliberately chose that topic.

"Princesses don't fight." One red-haired boy said with a confused look.

"Of course they do. Merida and Mulan did." Ellie said fiercely with a pout on her lips. I heard how her dad giggled behind my back, so I turned my head to see him shaking his head with a loving look in his eyes. He caught me looking at him and smiled politely. I wondered what he had thought about winking at me the last time we saw each other, if he had thought about it at all, or if I was just making mountains out of molehills. Crap. He obviously wasn't into me, not that I wanted him to be into me, I just was trying to explain myself why his wink had affected me. Maybe he was someone who winked a lot. A wink didn't have to mean flirting. Why would he even flirt with me? He didn't know me. For all he knew, I could be a serial killer.

 _Yes, Ana. A serial killer who works as a kindergarten teacher. This is not Criminal Minds._

The kids picked a few pencils and papers from our creative table at the left of the classroom as I made my way to my desk. I could sit near him, there was nothing wrong with a teacher and a parent talking.

"She takes princesses very serious." Mr. Grey said as soon as I sat down, leaning forward a little so I could hear his soft voice. I grabbed my water bottle to take a sip, my throat dry from his presence.

"I think I am raising a feminist." He laughed at himself, totally ignoring my silence. "Not that there is something wrong with that, don't get me wrong."

"It's great that she is already so fierce about her interests." I noted, his fascination with his daughter making my heart flutter and my ovaries explode. There was nothing more attractive than a man who loved his offspring, it certainly made me want to make babies with him.

"I just hope her fierceness won't be a problem with me when she grows up. I would hate to grow apart from her, just because we have different interests." He brushed his tired face, his sudden openness perplexing. I didn't expect to be talking about serious stuff with him, it felt too soon, but I had a feeling that anything Mr. Grey did was more in the moment and intense. It seemed like he was just as fierce as his daughter when it came to his interests and opinion.

"Just because you have different interests, you don't have to grow apart. Mutual respect will be your best friend." I said, thinking about my mum and me. We were as different as day and night, but we still loved each other. Before he could speak again, there was a knock on the door. Josh, a small boy with dark blonde curls, was standing there with his mother, a black haired woman with a long neck and mesmerizing green eyes. She was all over me as soon as I invited her in.

"Hello, Miss Steele. I'm Mia Kavanaugh, Joshua's mother. He has a peanut allergy, so please don't give him anything with peanuts, even if he begs you to do so." She said quickly, obviously having lots of experience about Josh's desire to eat peanuts even if he was allergic to them. I stood up and shook her hand as I gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Yes, I know, Mrs. Kavanaugh. It was listed on his student report. You don't have to worry about it, I will make sure that he doesn't get anything with peanuts in it." I said, letting go off her hand to greet my new student, who didn't look pleased at all.

"But I love peanut butter." He said with a pout, a tear already sitting in his eye. I leaned down toward him.

"And I loved strawberries. But you know what happened? I ate so much of them as a little kid, that I became sick. Since then I haven't had one, because even though they are yummy, they made my tummy hurt. Tummy's shouldn't hurt, right?" I explained to him and he slowly nodded at me, his curls jumping up and down in the process.

"I'm Miss Steele, Josh. It's very nice to meet you. Why don't you take a seat?" I said, nodding toward the empty table beside Ellie. He bit his lips and looked up at his mum, probably feeling insecure and needing her approval.

"Go ahead, honey." She said softly, letting go off his hand. He walked up to his new seat with his backpack in tow.

"Thank you, Miss Steele. My husband and I were so happy to hear that Josh is in your class now. He can be difficult sometimes, so we were worried that he wouldn't have a good start, but Leila told us that she trusts you completely and that you have a great relationship with kids." Mrs. Kavanaugh said. I had a feeling that she talked a lot, like a lot. She could talk without taking breaths, that was impressive.

Not compliments again, please. I probably should fail my job a little, so I won't have to hear compliments again.

"Why don't you take a seat, Mrs. Kavanaugh?" I asked, pointing toward where Mr. Grey was sitting. "Now that Josh is here, we can start."

Just as Leila and I had planned, I started with a get-to-know-you game with my students seated in a circle. I picked a small, foam ball out of a cabinet, which's door was decorated with stickers of the Smurfs and Mickey Mouse. The game was easy: you had to throw the ball to someone and ask them a question about them, like their name, their favorite food, their favorite princess – Ellie answered this question with _Elsa_ -, or what they liked to watch on TV.

Mr. Grey was nice enough to help me rearrange the tables before and afterward. Mrs. Kavanaugh and he had sat in their chair mostly silent, only speaking up here and there, but watching the class with curious eyes. I assumed they were curious about their kids' relationship with their new classmates and me. Josh and Ellie were very different kids, while Ellie was outgoing and confident, Josh only spoke up when he was asked something. He reminded me of myself a lot. I had a good feeling about them, though.

I was so into my game and talk with my kids, that I didn't notice that time was up. Mrs. Kavanaugh and Mr. Grey had to leave after an hour. Josh pouted a little, but thank God, he didn't cry. Ellie waved at her father with a big smile, telling him that she wanted Mac'n'Cheese for dinner tonight. He just rolled his eyes at her, telling her that he wasn't surprised. I had managed to stay cool and professional, his presence not affecting my job's duties as I stood in front of my students. I had been just overreacting because of a small wink, it meant nothing, it wouldn't happen again. It was just a polite gesture, right.

I was wrong.

When I said my good bye's to Ellie's father and Josh's mother, I politely shook their hands. Mrs. Kavanaugh told me once again that she was happy that her son was in my class and so on, before she left. Mr. Grey reached for my hand, squeezing it as we shook hands, his eyes glistening with mischief, a grin curling his lips. God. His lips. How hadn't I noticed them before?

"It was nice seeing you, Miss Steele. Ellie is very lucky to have you as her teacher." He said softly, his dark-copper curls falling to his forehead. I nodded with a tied tongue, licking my lips before I could speak again.

"I'm lucky to have her as my student. She seems like a sweet girl." I said, still shaking hands with him. Suddenly he turned our hands, so that the back of my hand was looking up, his thumb drawing one, small circle on my skin before he let go off me.

"Until next time, Miss Steele." He whispered, his touch still burning my skin.

And then, he winked.

* * *

 **He is a winker. Obviously.**

 **Well, what could that wink mean?**

 **xoxo Melii**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for reviewing :-***

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **4\. From tattletales and quarterbacks**

Maybe I was just imagining it, I thought. Maybe he was just a weirdo who flirted with everyone, maybe I wasn't that special, maybe he was just too friendly. For all I knew, he could be a serial dater, someone who had his fun with women for a few weeks before he dumped them for the next one. I didn't know anything about this guy, I should be infuriated by his inappropriate behavior. Flirting with the teacher of your kid wasn't really Prince Charming material, I thought with a frown. Winking was one thing, but the thumb thing he had done was just… too much. God. His thumb had left invisible marks on my skin.

Suddenly a fry hit my forehead, taking me back from my internal crisis to the teacher's lounge at _Mrs. Williams'_. I frowned at my friend sitting at the opposite of the table, picking up the flung fry from my plate and throwing it back at him. Unlike him, I didn't strike, the fry flew awkwardly across the table and landed on the floor. Oops.

"That isn't the proper etiquette for a kindergarten teacher." Jose Rodriguez, my colleague, friend and fry thrower, said with a smug grin, a spot of ketchup on his chin. I picked up a napkin and leaned forward to wipe away the evidence of his foible for condiments.

"Look who is calling me a kettle." I laughed as I threw the used napkin to our right on the gray table we were sitting on, where Jose had already disposed of a bottle of orange juice and ketchup packets.

"Where did you go with that crazy head of yours?" He asked me, changing the topic to forget the embarrassing incident with his ketchup soaked chin. It was funny how easily embarrassed he could be.

To avoid the humiliating truth, I lied like a pro.

"Ray wants to visit me next weekend." I said nonchalantly, remembering my phone call with my stepfather, well former stepfather. My mum and he broke up a long time ago, but since my sperm donor and I never had any kind of relationship, I always thought of Ray as my father. Hell, I was still using his surname after all.

Jose's eyes widened with excitement, he always had a soft spot for my father. They had mutual interests: fishing and hiking.

"That's great. I bought myself a new fishing gear, I need to brag with it." He exclaimed with a smug grin, dunking his fries into his beloved ketchup. His sandwich lied neglected on his plate, somehow he managed to forget about everything else on his plate when he saw fries and ketchup.

"Please. You already bragged with it this morning at class. I could hear your kids snoring." I laughed, earning an eye roll.

"I need to see your father's slightly envious expression with a tidbit of awe in his eyes. That's the real deal."

After Jose tried to explain to me the advantages of his new fishing gear and I told him to spare his words, because I had no idea what he was talking about, we brought our empty plates back to the cafeteria where the last students were enjoying their meals, the rest of them was already in the yard where they built sandcastles in the sand, slid down the sliding board or played hide and seek. We met Andrea at the swings, where she was talking to a little boy with dark brown hair as she helped him to put back on his shoes.

"Don't take your shoes off when we are outside, Daniel." She scolded him with a stern look. "You know, if you walk on grass with white socks, your socks will become green."

Daniel fidgeted impatiently as he waited for her to finish tying his sneakers, his eyes focused on the swings. It didn't look like he listened to her at all. As soon as Andrea let go off his little shoes, he ran away toward his squealing friends.

"Fine. Go back home with Yoda feet, then." Andrea mumbled behind his back, before turning to us.

"That was a long lunch. Why do you always have a long lunch? Don't you know, I hate being alone?" She asked with her hands at her hips.

"Wow. That sounded super clingy, A." Jose joked, reaching over to squeeze her cheeks. She groaned and shook her head, stepping back from his hands.

"You know how exhausting these little fuckers can be." She whispered, brushing through her hair with her manicured hands. I frowned at her for using that f-word in the presence of kids, even though they were busy with something else.

"Don't frown." She said with a raised finger toward me.

"Don't make me frown, then." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Wow. That's a great argument." Her voice was full of sarcasm, making me roll my eyes at her.

"Go, have your lunch. You are awfully unbearable when you are hungry." I said. She mumbled something about 'there better be fries left for me' as she walked away from us. Jose laughed at her behind her back with his hands deep in his coat's pockets. It was pretty cold for the last days of April, the wind howling through the green leaves of the trees. Jose and I chitchatted while we watched our students playing around, stopping a few from throwing toys at each other and helping a girl up when she fell down. Jose helped her with her booboo, magically stopping her crying with his typical charm.

"So, how are things with Ellie Grey?" He asked me out of the blue, not mocking, just sounding genuinely interested. That was what I liked about him so much, he wasn't making fun of me for having her in my class, he wasn't making comments about her good-looking daddy.

"She is a sweetheart." I said, thinking about new student who always greeted everyone with a smile and showed real interest in class. I loved the way she listened to me reading them something, it seemed like she couldn't get enough.

"Olivia used to say that she is super tiring." Jose said with a thoughtful expression on his face. I rolled my eyes at the mention of our former colleague.

"Olivia isn't really a reliable source, is she?" I asked, playing with the zipper of my jacket. I should have worn a sweater underneath it, instead of a t-shirt.

"Well, when her parents got divorced, things were rough for her, obviously. Apparently, she had a few temper tantrums." Meet Jose Rodriguez: the biggest tattletale ever. He loved gossip more than fries.

"Her parents got divorced. She is a kid, what did you expect?" I said defensively. I had seen my mother get divorced three times, I knew how rough it could be.

"Apparently, she flipped out at the supermarket one day, screaming at her father for not getting her _Froot Loops,_ telling him that she loves her mum more because she is such a better parent. Mr. Grey just looked at her and then he left her alone at the supermarket. They had to call his mum to get her pick Ellie up." He told me excitedly. My jaw hit the floor as I listened to his words.

"What? He left his kid at the supermarket?" I whispered in shock, my suspicion that Mr. Grey might be an in the moment type of guy now seeming more likely. I never would have guessed that he, out of all people, would do something irrational like that, but I didn't know him well enough, I guess. Another reason to stay away from him and his wink.

"Had a mental breakdown, or something like that." Jose said with a shrug, his eyes focused on the passing by little boy with a heavy bucket full of sand in his arms. We watched him tremble, his bucket falling down and the sand in it now a puddle in front of our feet. The little boy just shrugged and ran away with his bucket in tow. I let my foot brush over the sand, the crackling sound of sand soothing.

"Who knows what was up with him." I mumbled, my eyes looking for Ellie in the wild crowd, finding her at the slid. She and her friend, a girl called Marie, were sliding by turns, laughing and squealing each time. I couldn't imagine her being a trouble child or being angry at her father. They always seemed to have a great relationship, she always talked about him in awe. Every picture she drew, every new letter she learned, she would show him at the end of the day proudly and he would listen to her stories with patience. To say that, they were always watched by spoony eyes whenever he picked his daughter up, was an underestimation. The crazy hens of Bellevue, the single and not so single mum's, couldn't keep their eyes off Mr. Grey and his sweet daughter.

"His wife cheated on him, honey. That's a real bummer."

Jose shared Mr. Grey's fate, his ex had cheated in him, too.

"How did he get the custody for her? I mean, a mental breakdown isn't really helping, right?" I asked, a little bit angry at myself since I fell into Jose's gossip trap. Damn him and his juicy story. We shouldn't be gossiping about him, or anyone.

"I'm not really familiar with all the details, unfortunately." He said with a pout, always wanting to know every little detail. "He was a stay at home dad, his wife a successful business lady. I guess, she found a new man at her office."

"That's not cool." I said, now pitying Mr. Grey and his daughter. They didn't deserve anything like that, they seemed like good people. Hell, even bad people didn't deserve to be cheated on.

Hours later, when the kids had taken their naps, we had to spend the rest of the day with them inside, since it had started raining. Ellie Grey was anything but amused, since she had been anticipating her turn at the swings. She begged me to let her go outside when I met my students sit down.

"It's too cold and wet. I'm sorry, Ellie." I said with an apologetic smile, earning puppy dog eyes and a pout from her. It was ineffective. I was immune to those.

"Why don't you draw a picture of a princess who conquers the great land of swings?" I asked her encouragingly and knelt down beside her desk. I picked up a pencil out of her pencil case and started scribbling on a white sheet of paper. I drew a big castle with spiky roofs on its tall towers and a big gate, I wrote the words _Ellie's castle_ above it.

"This is yours." I pointed on my drawing with the pencil I was holding. She nodded at me, looking a little suspicious. To be honest, I couldn't really draw that well, but if it was enough to keep her from going outside, I was fine with it.

"And this is the big swing of your castle." I said, drawing a poor excuse of a swing. A few little swings followed, which I named the kids of the big swing, telling her that every swing had an own princess.

"Now, I want you to draw the princesses, okay?" Before I even finished my question, she picked up a pink pencil out of her _Hello Kitty_ pencil case, her eyes focused on the paper with a concentrated look, her tongue between her lips. Jose's story about her throwing a temper tantrum came to my mind, I still had my doubts about it. She is too sweet, I thought as I got up.

"Miss Steele?" I looked down at the shaky voice coming from my leg, a sad looking Josh was hugging my leg.

"Yes, Josh?" I asked with a concerned voice.

"Can you draw me something, too?" He asked, making me relax. I had feared that it was something worse.

"Of course. What do you want me to draw? A robot? Cars?" I smiled down at him and lead him to his desk. He sat down and picked out something out of his backpack, opening a page to show me.

"Can you draw this?"

I looked down at what seemed to be a comic showing a superhero fighting a clown-like villain. I wasn't a maven, comics never had been my cup of tea. At the end of the day, I learned how to draw something what looked like a crooked Batman, but it was good enough to please Josh. I still wondered why his parents were letting him look at comics, though. From what I had seen, it could become pretty brutal. I needed to talk to them about this.

Later that day, after I successfully stayed away from the whole saying goodbye to the kids part of my job because I wasn't ready to face a certain father, I went home to my apartment. The first thing I did was calling my father and inviting him over for the next weekend, I had really missed him. Ray was his usual sweet self, excited to hear from me and anticipating the weekend already. I knew for a fact that he already planned to cook me something when he was over, he always did. Usually, his idea of dinner meant fish, something I didn't like much, but I endured it because I couldn't say no to him.

With a look into my fridge, I realized I didn't have anything besides a half empty glass of olives and beer, so my hungry ass had to get out to go grocery shopping. I sighed tiredly as I slipped into my coat and my boots, not really wanting to leave my apartment right now, but hunger was motivation enough.

Half an hour later, I was pushing a cart full of two cartons of milk, apples, _Froot Loops_ , and eggs around the supermarket closest to me. I needed to buy some pasta, maybe even some frozen pizzas for my lazy ass, and a tube of toothpaste probably wouldn't do any harm since I was practically down to the last drop. With my eyes glued on the shelves I was passing by, I didn't exactly look where I was going. My cart crashed into another with a metallic _bang_ , stunning me. I looked away from various brands of deodorants and found two pairs of intense, gray eyes looking down at me.

"Miss Steele." Ellie, who was sitting on her father's shoulders, squealed. She was hugging her father's head, her little legs on both sides of his neck, a huge grin on her pretty face. I wondered why I didn't notice the color of her eyes before, they had the same shade of her father's eyes. Maybe I had been too busy oggling said father. Sue me.

"Hi, Ellie." I said with a smile, looking more at her than at the man carrying her. Mr. Grey was holding a cart with his hands, dressed in casual clothes – black hoodie, jeans and boots – with a charismatic smile on his pretty lips. I tried not to stare at them.

"Are you doing grocery shopping, too?" The blonde girl asked me, being honestly curious, something only a child could be about something as lame as grocery shopping.

"Yes. Just like you, as it seems." I said and nodded toward their cart. It was full of vegetables and healthy stuff I would never buy.

"I love grocery shopping." She let out, pressing her cheek into the messy dark-copper hair of her daddy.

"What a nice surprise, Miss Steele." Mr. Grey said, reaching over to shake hands with me. Politely, I shook his hand, trying not to think about the last time we shook hands, trying not to look at his stupid thumb. He was all smiles, taking no prisoners.

"We barely see us at the kindergarten, but then we meet at the supermarket." Mr. Grey commented with a knowing smile. I had the feeling that he wanted to add something to his brilliant observation, but he kept his mouth shut.

"The kindergarten is always busy. Sometimes, I don't get to see all of my colleagues." I said as nonchalantly as possible, my treacherous cheeks blushing already.

"Then we better make sure that we run into each other at not so busy places." He winked. This time I was one hundred percent sure that it was intended as flirting, his words were pretty obvious just like all the winks he had given me since we had met.

"Ah, yes. Maybe at the supermarket again. Next week, there is a huge sale on detergents." I said quickly, flirting never had been my strength. Flirting with the father of one of my students was even worse than the time, our high school's quarterback had flirted with me. Both times, I had managed to say something weird in the end, and if Mr. Grey was anything like Jonah Miller, the most popular boy at my high-school, then he would run for the hills soon.

"I will be waiting for you at the detergent aisle." He laughed at me, the skin around his eyes wrinkling in the process. I managed an awkward giggle, biting my lip. Wow. For the first time, I hadn't scared a man off with my awkward rambling.

"Look, daddy. Miss Steele has _Froot Loops_." Ellie suddenly exclaimed excitedly, her finger pointing toward my cart. With the force of a wrecking ball, the memory of my conversation with Jose from this afternoon hit me out of nowhere. He had told me that _Froot Loops_ , Ellie and her father had created a scene at the supermarket before, and now, I was practically standing in the middle of a deja-vu. My face must have given my mood change away, because the gray eyes of the two Grey's were looking at me with concern.

"I didn't mean to scream, Miss Steele. I am sorry." Ellie said, misinterpreting my sudden mood change and once again proving my doubts about that so called temper tantrum. I couldn't imagine her doing something like that, at least not in public.

"Oh. It's nothing. It's not your fault. I was just in thoughts." I lied and gave her a smile. She looked relieved and started to tell me how much she loved _Froot Loops_ and so on.

"It was nice seeing you both." I said, deciding to run away from any further humiliation.

"See you tomorrow, Miss Steele." Ellie waved at me enthusiastically with one hand, the other still holding onto her dad's head. Said dad gave me a charming smile, pushing his cart to the side so I could pass him.

"It was _very_ nice seeing you, Miss Steele." He said, tipping his head this time instead of a wink. What a flirt, I thought, flushing heavily thanks to the way he stressed the word 'very'.

"See you next week at the detergent aisle." A smile curled his lips before he walked away from me with his daughter and cart in tow. I watched them go with an open mouth, shocked from his obvious flirting and kinda liking it, too. I didn't know how I would figure out my own, confused feelings, but for now I just enjoyed the nice view of his ass as he walked away.

What a fine ass, what a fine man.

* * *

 **Mr. Grey's ass belongs to Essie for this chapter because she is a sweetheart.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the reviews, the love, the support :-***

 **NOT BETAED cause I am lazy.**

* * *

 **5\. From new memories and pubs**

Ray arrived on Saturday morning with a huge smile on his face and his arms open to hug me. His fatherly nature always had a soothing effect, everything about him let me feel safe and loved, something I never had experienced with my biological father – I didn't blame him, it was impossible to make me feel safe all the way from Narnia. Or maybe he was in Panem, where President Snow was enslaving him District 12. Or maybe he was in the great magical world of J.K. Rowling, where Lord Voldemort was torturing him to death with the help of his sidekick, Bellatrix Lestrange.

I really needed to stop reading fantasy novels.

"I have really missed you, Annie." Ray said while he hugged me.

"I missed you, too, Dad." I mumbled into his neck, his cologne still the same even after years. I remembered the times where I bought it for him at Christmas or his birthday, back then when he and Mum were still married.

Ray and I had lots of things in common, we were simple human beings who didn't need much when they traveled. He had packed a small case with his belongings, enough for his one night stay. We used to live in Portland, but when Mum broke up with him, she and I moved to Savannah, where her aunt lived, and Ray moved to Montesano. Unlike Mum, he never got married again. I suspected that he was still in love with her, even though she dumped him because she found his way of life too boring.

"How are things, Annie? Do you need money?" He asked with concern visible on his face, always thoughtful, always ready to do more. Even though he had no kids of his own – I could practically hear him scream at me "You are my kid!" -, he was the perfect father.

"No, Dad. Everything is alright. The job is great and I don't need money." I tried to calm him, the thought of taking his money mortifying. I knew that he would help me if I really needed it, that was enough. Besides, I earned enough to pay for my small apartment, to buy food and, most importantly, to buy books.

Like we always did, we made us some tea before we sat down at my small couch to talk about whatever came to our minds. It was easy to talk to him, he didn't rush and he didn't push, unlike Mum. She always asked the wrong questions, wrong as in the questions I had no answers for. It was her crazy sixth sense, somehow she always knew which topic I wanted to avoid, but needed to talk about. Whenever I asked her about her head trick, she only answered that being in menopause gave you some special abilities. I didn't question it.

"Jose said hi, by the way." I said to my dad, after we end our talk about his job as a carpenter. He was nervous about a new client, but glad that they had something in common: their love for fishing. That was how I came up with Jose.

"He is a good boy." Ray said with his brown eyes glistening with pride. He really liked Jose and I had a feeling that he wanted us to hook up. Thank god, he was too polite to actually talk to me about it.

"He bought himself a new gear, told me that it was perfect." I went on, cupping my tea with my hands, my fingers warming up.

"Really? Which one?" My father asked with a curious look. I could imagine the inside of his head turning into a high-tech computer, searching for the possible gear, Jose could have bought. I rolled my eyes at him with a smirk.

"I have no idea. He told me, but I didn't even try to memorize it."

Later that day, when I insisted on cooking us dinner, Ray persuaded me to go out, since he didn't drive all the way from Montesano to make me cook for him. We found a petite, Mom and Pop restaurant near my place, the yummy smells of food filling our nostrils as soon as we opened the door to it. We ordered our food, pizza for me and steak for him, our conversation once again calm and quiet, and ate our food in peace. I loved how quiet he could be, only saying the most important stuff, never making unnecessary comments. Most of our meetings went that way, we usually went somewhere to eat or had dinner at home, before we spent the rest of the night in front of the TV chitchatting, before we went to bed. That was why I was surprised when Ray proposed to get some drinks when we left the restaurant – I had tried to pay the bill, but Ray could be very stubborn, so I had watched him pay my food, what made me feel like a small kid.

"We could drink something and talk." He proposed with a shrug. "It would be a difference."

I looked at him with a shocked expression. Ray wasn't famous for his love for new things or differences, but who was I to decline him his wish.

"Sure, Dad. There is a pub, not far from here." I said, calculating how far we would have to walk. I contemplated calling a cab, but I didn't want him to pay for it, so I decided to walk.

"We rarely do something else, Annie. I thought it would be a nice change. I don't want our memories to be in front of the TV." He explained as we walked down the street, his grayish hair ruffled from the wind. I didn't know if I wanted our memories to be in a pub, either, but I guessed that it was a small step toward change.

Suddenly, I stopped walking as I thought about what he had said.

"Dad, are you dying?" I whispered with widened eyes, thinking that he was maybe running out of time, maybe he was trying to have new memories with me before he died. Oh god. Maybe I was being melodramatic.

"What? No, Annie. I'm fine." He said, looking sorry for making me worry.

"I just don't want to look back when I am older and think, why I didn't spend more time with you. Socializing is a start."

Socializing.

I couldn't remember having heard that word out of his mouth before, to be honest. And I couldn't comprehend why he suddenly felt the need to socialize, in a pub, out of all places. If he wanted to spend more time with me, I was fine with that, but I couldn't understand his sudden mood change.

I was right about being suspicious.

As soon as we were seated at the bar with our drinks in front of us, he began to talk without even taking his first sip. I stopped midway of raising my glass of beer toward my mouth, looking at him with a curious look.

"I have to tell you something, Ana." He said out of the blue, his hands nervously fidgeting.

"Dad? Why are you so nervous? Are you really fine?" I asked, now really worrying. I couldn't remember seeing him like this before. Usually, Ray was the calmness in person, nothing could make him fidget or freak out.

"It's nothing about my health, Annie. I didn't mean to make you worry." Ray answered, patting my hand.

"Well, don't make me anxious, Dad. Tell me." I bit my lip, ready to hear about his nearing death, a sickness, an early demise.

"I have a girlfriend."

Anything, but this.

I gulped hardly, the news perplexing me. I never would have thought that Ray was dating, not that I didn't approve it, it was just unexpected because he never seemed to be interested in the dating world. I guessed, I had been wrong.

"I wanted to tell you in person and not on the phone, that's why I came over this weekend. I thought telling you this in public would be easier for me, I know see that was very gutless from me. I'm sorry." He went on, unaware of the shock he had caused.

Ray was dating.

My taciturn, stubborn, too sweet for his own good father was dating.

"Annie, say something. Please." He begged, his eyes full of worry. I reached for my beer and took a long sip, hoping that it would numb my brain. I didn't know how I felt about him dating, I wanted him to be happy, but I also had this crazy, ugly feeling of jealousy in me. I wasn't proud of it, but somehow I felt nervous about this, as if he was starting a new part of his life in which I had no place. I was overreacting, I knew, but he was my pop. I had always imagined him with my mum or without anyone, very much aware how selfish it sounded.

Dammit.

"Dad, I am surprised." I said finally.

My expression made him more nervous, I couldn't blame him. I probably looked like I was close to a breakdown.

"I know, it's out of the blue, but it's something new, Annie. I just wanted to tell you as soon as possible, because I want you to be a part of it, of my life, I mean. I want your approval." He said desperately. Now I felt awful. I was too selfish to see what this was really about.

Ray didn't just inform me about his newly developed relationship, he wanted me to approve it because he cared about my opinion. I reached out toward him, hugging him tightly, his cologne definitely smelling better than the sticky smell of the pub. It was a small one, with wooden tables and chairs and a metal bar with colorful neon lights hanging over it. There was some funky music coming out of the jukebox, nothing remotely close to my music taste. I tried to forget everything around us, only concentrating on my sweet father and his concerns.

"Dad. You don't need my approval. I will always support you." I whispered, feeling how he pat my back.

"Tell me about this special lady who managed to get you out of your shell." I said with an encouraging smile. His brown eyes glistened with something I couldn't name as he began telling me about how he met Gia, the saleslady at the fruit market. His enthusiasm about her was sweet, he deserved to be happy.

"She wants to meet you." He said after he told me about her favorite hobby: knitting. She sounded like a normal, simple person, someone who was more fitting for Ray than my mum. He wasn't a man for turbulence and drama.

"The next time I visit, we sure will meet." I said, curious about the woman in his life.

The rest of our evening was build on my questions about Gia and his questions about my job. I had told him about my new students and how nervous I had been. Well, I didn't tell him that a certain father was making me more nervous than his kid, but in the end, it all lead to the same thing: my nervousness.

"Have you applied to any new publishing houses?" He asked when we were on our third drinks. I shook my head, playing with a used napkin.

"I haven't tried in a long time, Dad. I am happy with my job." I answered. My father had been sad when I couldn't find a job as an editor, not that he didn't approve of me being a teacher, he was just sad that I didn't get to have my dream career.

"That's what counts, Annie. You are young, you deserve to be happy." He said. I was just going to answer him, when suddenly the bar stool behind my back scratched against the floor, making me turn around.

For the second time this week, I was looking into a certain pair of gray eyes.

 _What the damn hell?_

"What a nice surprise, Miss Steele. Again."

I looked at Mr. Grey's smug smile, my heart fluttering wildly against my chest as I tried to control my breathing and my expression. I failed at both, my cheeks burning. What was he doing here, I thought. Then, I finally managed to be a normal person, instead of a dork.

"Hi, Mr. Grey."

Dear God. I really said _Hi_ like a prepubescent girl who saw her crush on her way to class. When I tried to forget my humiliation, I used the opportunity to check him out like the obsessed addict I was. He was once again dressed very casually, jeans and t-shirts obviously his favorite clothes, as well as his baseball cap. He must be a Seahawks fan.

"Um, I was having drinks with my father." I explained, pointing toward Ray, who looked at the both of us with curiosity visible on his face.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Steele. My daughter is at Miss Steele's class." The charismatic bastard shook hands with my father, while I watched them with a perplexed expression. Could it be another coincidence, I wondered. This was the second time we met out of kindergarten, both times took my breath away.

"My mother was nice enough to have Ellie over for tonight, so I thought, I better use that opportunity to go out." Mr. Grey said, now turned toward me. I tried not to squirm underneath his intense stare, it was like he was speaking volumes with the gray of his eyes, maybe he was looking for something in mine.

"It's Saturday after all." I said with a smile, preventing being awkward by saying as little as possible. _It's better if I keep my mouth busy_ , I thought as I reached for my beer, taking a huge sip.

 _Stupid Ana_ , I thought again. _You need to talk since Ray and Mr. Grey don't know each other._

"Ellie is one of the new kids in my class, Dad." I explained to my father. "She is a sweetheart."

"She comes after her grandmother." Mr. Grey said with a proud smile. "A sweetheart until you deny her what she wants."

 _Like Froot Loops_ , I couldn't stop thinking.

"I heard there was a little discussion about going out while it was raining. I'm sorry if she was difficult." He went on, oblivious to my internal mess.

"Oh, no, don't worry. We survived it." I joked, talking about one of students taking away my nervousness.

"She is awe with you. You are the only thing she talks about, to be honest." Mr. Grey said, leaning against the bar with his arms. He ordered himself a beer when the waitress came.

"I'm in awe with her, too. She is a great kid with lots of potential." I told him about Ellie's talents as a storyteller, she had lots of imagination. Yesterday, I had asked if anyone wanted to tell the class a story and Ellie, being the social butterfly that she was, raised her hand immediately. I watched her in awe as she captivated the class by telling them a story about a yellow dragon who kidnapped a princess. She told the story in so many details that I was in shock. Usually, kids her age didn't have much patience to tell long stories like that.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Miss Steele. I'm sorry for the interruption." Mr. Grey said afterward, raising his beer toward us. I did the same, awkwardly copying his move, flushing from my cheeks to my chest. It was a good thing, I wore a turtleneck pullover.

"Nonsense. You weren't interrupting. Say hi to Ellie from me, Mr. Grey." I smiled, anticipating the moment he went away, his presence too intimidating. I didn't understand my reaction, though. It wasn't like he was pestering me or being unbearable, he was a nice gentleman with his whole posture and his manners, but his eyes left me breathless whenever he looked at me. It was a miracle that I didn't fall from my stool.

"Call me Christian." A crooked smile curled his lips, bewitching my senses. I tried not to drool.

"Mr. Steele, it was nice to meet you." They shook hands again, before I, once again, watched Mr. Grey, _I mean Christian,_ walk away with his beer in tow. He sat down at a table with a couple of other men, his friends apparently.

"Seems like a nice guy." Ray commented behind me, his appreciation audible.

"He is." I said simply, while my stomach was doing wild loops with the damned metaphorical butterflies flying around in it.

 _Call me Christian._

I was swooning by a simple sentence.

I was fucked – but not in a good way.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to CTHEWOODS ;)**

 **To those who ask when we will see more of Ana and Daddy C, like more than winks and stuff, let me answer your questions with one of my most favorite words: SOON!**

 **Will there be a CPOV? - Not planned, but maybe. Who knows.**

 **Where is Elena? - Around the corner ;)**

 **Are Mia and Christian siblings? - No.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Daddy C is back ;)**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **6\. From** **gifts and latecomers**

"You!"

I looked away from the slides I was keeping an eye on since five students were sliding a little too enthusiastically – the last thing I needed was someone falling down and breaking something of his or hers.

Andrea was walking toward me with pursed lips and squeezed eyes. Her tone and her attitude made it very obvious that I was going to get bitch slapped with words, Andrea was pretty good at that. I made room for her on the bench I was sitting on, she didn't sit down, though. She looked down at me with her hazel eyes glistening with fever, making me raise my eyes at her.

"What did I do?" I asked, crossing my arms at my chest, the cold wind making me shiver. My nipples were saluting already, thanks to the cold weather and my thin bra. Maybe I should have picked another one this morning.

"Don't act so innocently. You know well what you did. Or didn't do." She snapped, a grin curling her lips which made me wonder if she was just being playful with me. Her feelings could be a wild roller coaster ride.

"Then tell me what I did or didn't do." I shrugged, not expecting her next words.

"You didn't tell me that you met the hot daddy outside of school."

Suddenly I felt like I was falling down a million of stairs, falling, falling some more, before I landed on my head on the cold, hard ground. My head exploded like a watermelon, the image too disgusting to be described, what was left of my body begged to explode, too, since it didn't want to be left with Andrea's piercing eyes.

"What?" I let out, already blushing heavily, my treacherous body giving me away immediately.

"Don't even try to deny it. I heard Ellie Grey talking about it with her friend. She was all like 'Miss Steele was at the supermarket, too'. Apparently, you run into her and her daddy." She mocked the little girl's voice like a pro, her hands at her hips, smugness visible on her face.

"Is that a crime?" I tried using my one and only chance to defend myself: answering with vacuous questions. She snorted as she sat down beside me, crossing her pants clothes legs at her knees.

"No, it's a gift of God." Her expression got spoony, it was something I could better deal with than her not so sweet side.

"Really? Meeting your student outside of school is a gift of God?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She rolled her hazel eyes at me, smacking her lips once.

"Who cares about the student if her father is a hottie? Why didn't you tell me about it? What was he like? Did you talk? If yes, what did you talk about? Come one, Ana, tell me." Andrea asked excitedly, jumping up and down in her seat. I gasped and frowned at her.

"Who cares about the student if her father is a hottie? I'm shocked, A."

She rolled her eyes.

"You know that I don't mean it like that. Don't try to change the subject. I know what you are trying to do, Steele. You better spill the beans."

I sighed, feeling beaten. Her reaction was the exact reason why I didn't tell her about my surprise meetings with Mr. Grey – no, _Christian_. He had asked me to call him by his name, but how would I manage that if only thinking about it made me blush?

"It was nothing spectacular. I was there to buy groceries and so were they. We said hi, then we said bye." It wasn't a total lie, although I didn't tell her about all the winks he had given me until now, or the thumb thing he had done, or the fact that he had asked me to call him by his name when I ran into him at a bar. These were just small details, nobody needed to know about. They were mine, and I liked it, even they had left me a confused, frustrated mess.

"You know, he is single, maybe you could have persuaded him for a quickie." She was only half joking, laughing at her words, while her mind wandered to all the possible scenarios. Me and him doing it against the aisles full of hygiene products, with his strong arms carrying me, my legs around his hips, the back of my head hitting the metal shelf, but the pain was totally worth it since the rest of the things he was doing to me, felt so, so, _so good._

Great.

Now I was thinking about it, too.

My nipples were hard for a totally different reason, now.

"He was there with his kid." I exasperated, my brows furrowed, my arms trying to hide my erected nipples. I could feel my heart beating faster, the more I deepened the thought of Mr. Grey – no, _Christian –_ deepening something of his in me. Crap.

Andrea wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"You mean, if Ellie hadn't been with him, you would have tried your luck?" She asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat now. For the love of God.

"No." I whispered in shock. "He would still be the father of one of my students. I couldn't do that with him."

"And what if he wasn't the father of your student? Then you would do _him_ , right?" She went on, now giggling like a schoolgirl or one of the hens whenever saw a certain Mr. Grey.

"Why are you so curious about what I would do or wouldn't do?" I asked finally, a little pissed, but not because she was annoying, more because I had no escape. With one eye, I checked the slides where the amount of kids had decreased, thank God. Less kids meant less problems.

"I want you to confess that he is hot." She stated, brushing over her blonde bob, the rings on her fingers glistening underneath the dusky light of today.

"For what possible reason?" My brows reached my forehead as I looked at my friend.

"To get a reaction out of you because of a guy. You have to confess that you can be immensely indifferent when it comes to guys."

If only she knew about the reactions, Mr. Grey – goddamn, _Christian –_ had caused in me. She would have a field day with them. I tried not to grin at that thought.

"Fine. He isn't too bad to look at. Happy now?" I snapped, the confession coming out for the first time out of my mouth, the words spoken out loud made my heart flutter even more than ever.

 _He isn't too bad to look at? Girl, that doesn't even come close to what he is._

My inner diva was awakened.

"Happy and proud." Andrea answered with one hand at her chest where her heart was beating underneath. "I waited so long for this moment."

"You are bonkers." I said, rolling my eyes at her. Thank God, she was oblivious to the fact that I was bonkers, too – I was bonkers for a certain daddy.

Two hours later, when I finally managed to keep Andrea away from me by running of to the climbing wall, which she usually avoided like the plague since she hated heights, it was time for the kids to go. The daily hustle and bustle of getting those wild kids into their jackets and finding their backpacks took us a little longer today, since two students started crying when we couldn't find their stuff immediately. It took us extra fifteen minutes to calm them down, but Jose and I managed it professionally. Afterward, we sang our daily goodbye song in which the kids said goodbye in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish, and opened the doors to let them out, where their Mums and Dads were waiting for them.

I chitchatted with Timothy's Mum, while I tried not to scan the crowd for a certain dark-copper haired man, but I failed miserably, all thanks to Andrea and the scenarios she had put into my head.

 _Slowly, he would take off my shirt, maybe even ripping its buttons off in the process, taking my bra off and throwing it to the floor, before he would take my breasts between his rough, manly hands, squeezing them so my flesh would spill over his fingers. Then he would kiss, lick, bite, suck on them, like the way I liked it.._

For the love of God.

I was standing right between kids. I shouldn't be thinking about sex. I shouldn't be thinking about sex with Mr. Grey – yes, I said Mr. Grey. Absolute professionalism from now, I thought with a stern expression.

"Miss Steele?"

Suddenly, soft hands were tugging at my pants, making me look down. Big, innocent, gray eyes were looking up at me, her mouth pouted, a single tear sitting on the corner of her right eye. Slowly, tears started streaming down her face, while she kept her silence.

"Miss Steele, my daddy isn't here yet." Ellie whined, hiccuping once. A soft blush spread on her cheeks. I took an unused napkin out of my pocket and leaned down to tap her tears off her face.

"I'm sure, he is on his way, Ellie." I said, trying to calm her. A look on my watch told me that he was pretty late, most of the kids went home already. Only a few were still standing at the gates, talking with their parents.

"He is never late." She said proudly, her fingers fidgeting with the pink straps of her backpack. Her strawberry blonde hair was braided today, I wondered if her father had braided it.

"Well, sometimes grown-ups have so much to do, so they can be late. Why don't we wait inside for him?" I smiled at her encouragingly, holding my hand toward her. She took it as she nodded at me, before we walked to Leila's office. I knocked once, before I entered. Leila was sitting at her desk, typing something on her computer as she looked up with a surprised smile.

"Is everything alright?" She asked when her eyes landed on Ellie, who was looking around Leila's office with curious eyes. She loved discovering new territories, always eager to find out more.

"Her father hasn't come to pick her up yet. He is a little late." I said, feeling Ellie squeeze my hand as I said 'late'. It was cute how she proudly defended her father's nonexistent tardiness.

"Oh, well. His number must be here somewhere. You better call him." Leila stated as she searched for his number on her computer with a concentrated expression on her face.

"There it is." She said with a smile.

I gulped, my heart beating faster at the thought of talking to him over the phone. I had humiliated myself when we were talking face to face, who knows what I could do over the phone, where I had the security of being far away from him.

"Why don't you call him?" I asked nonchalantly. "I will go and check on.."

Before I could even think about a plausible excuse, she interrupted me.

"I will go make myself another cup of coffee. You do the call. Ellie, why don't you sit down in my chair?" Leila smiled at the little girl as she stood up with her empty cup in her hand.

"Thank you, Miss Williams." Ellie said politely as she let go off my hand and sat down on Leila's chair. When Leila left her office, I picked up the phone from her table and dialed Mr. Grey's number, sending a silent prayer toward heaven.

He picked up after a few rings.

"Grey." He snapped into the phone, making me raise my eyebrows.

"Hello, Mr. Grey. Here is Anastasia Steele from _Mrs. Williams_. You were supposed to pick Ellie up half an hour ago. She is anxiously waiting for you." I said as professionally as possible, while I played with the phone cord like a shy, flustered schoolgirl calling her crush. From the corner of my eye, I saw how Ellie couldn't take her eyes away from Leila's painting on the walls. At least, she wasn't crying.

"Fuck. I'm sorry. I'm on my way." He ended the phone call without expecting an answer from me. His behavior surprised me, to be honest. This wasn't his usual, charming self.

"Your daddy is on his way, Ellie." I said as cheerfully as possible, although I wanted to frown, because of Mr. Grey's confusing mood change. I probably shouldn't take it personally, who knows what he was angry at.

I brought Ellie a glass of juice so she had something to do while waiting, and since Leila didn't return from her coffee hunt, I had to stay with her. The rest of my colleagues already went home, our day already over, but I couldn't leave Ellie alone and I knew well enough that Leila wasn't going to deal with her, either. She was too busy with paperwork and coffee hunting. Patiently, we waited for Ellie's father, who came thirty-one minutes later. He knocked on Leila's office door firmly, before he opened the door, his eyes tired, his smile big for her, though.

"Daddy." She squealed and jumped out of her seat, nearly knocking over her glass standing on the desk, running into his open arms. I watched him catch her and hug her tightly.

"I'm sorry, princess. Daddy had an important meeting." He apologized, setting her down onto her feet.

"It's okay, Daddy." She said sweetly, smiling up at him as if he was her hero. Now, he finally looked at me, smiling at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Miss Steele. I shouldn't have been late." He said, brushing over his chaotic hair, making me envy him because I wanted to do that. _I wanted to do him_. Crap. I blushed heavily, bit my lip, before I answered him.

"It was no problem." I said politely, unobtrusively trying to dry my sweaty hands on my jeans.

"I am thankful for your help. I promise, I won't be late again." He said firmly, more to his daughter than to me.

"In fact, let me make it up to you." He said suddenly, making me widen my eyes in shock.

"That's really not necessary, Mr. Grey." I said, brushing it off with a smile. His brows furrowed, his mouth a thin line.

"I thought, we were past the whole Mr. Grey thing." He said, now smiling at me, but his tone giving his irritation away.

"I just mean that you don't have to make it up to me or something. It's my job to help you." I said, fidgeting with ends of my hair.

"I insist on it. Ellie and I are going to go have some dinner. Why don't you accompany us?" He suggested with a charismatic smile, the mischief in his eyes tempting me.

Crap.

He was such a tempting bastard.

"Yes, Miss Steele." His daughter, aka his sidekick in being tempting, said enthusiastically. "Please come with us."

Great. Now she was using her deadly weapon: puppy dog eyes. Under normal circumstances, I would be immune against those, but paired with her good looking daddy, they were deadly. They made me forget about the whole 'is this appropriate' question swirling around in my head. I could have a quick meal with them, right? I mean, it wouldn't be a date. It would be me, him and his daughter.

Fuck. It would be a family event, which made it worse.

Two pairs of gray eyes were looking at me, waiting impatiently for my answer, and since the temptation was too great, I had no other chance.

"Fine. I will just get my stuff."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to daytonalay for this chapter ;)**

 **Dinner with Daddy C and Ellie, his sidekick? Sounds fun.**

 **We will see how that goes.**

 **Until next time**

 **Melii who is listening to 'I don't wanna live forever' on repeat like a maniac.**

 **P.S.: This story has no BDSM in it, so Elena is not Christian's ex domme.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the love :-***

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **7\. From desire and liars**

Christian and Ellie waited for me at the door while I went to pick up my stuff from the staffs room, where Leila was chitchatting with Jose. I looked at him in surprise, I had thought he had left with the others.

"Did you call Mr. Grey?" Leila asked me, stopping midway of raising her cup of coffee to her lips. Internally, I freaked out when I looked into her eyes, the thought of her seeing me leave with my student and her good-looking father frightened me. I didn't want to think about what she could think about me after that.

"Uh, yes. Yes, I did. He picked her up." I nodded furiously, quickly getting my purse and my jacket out of my small, rectangle locker. The green metal door made a loud sound as I closed it too fast, my plan to escape without attracting attention failing miserably.

"Ana, you heading out? I have to read some paperwork with Leila, but if you wait for me, maybe I will buy you one of the hamburgers you like so much." Jose said with a smile. Usually, I would have accepted his offer, since I loved our Burger Special's at _Ernie's,_ a local diner. But I had something else planned for tonight, something they didn't need to know about.

"I'm not feeling well, J. I will just go home. Rain check, okay?" I said apologetically, slipping into my jacket. I had no idea that I could lie like this, but I guess, the possibility of having dinner with a certain Mr. Grey was inspiration enough.

"See you guys." I said and rushed out of the staffs room, walking with fast steps toward the entrance where Ellie and her father were waiting for me.

"I'm ready to go." I smiled at them, the look he gave me made my blood stir, but I ignored it as much as I could. There was something about his eyes, that made my skin tingle and put my senses on fire, clouding my mind, alluring my whole being. I couldn't allow him to affect me like that, maybe going to dinner with them was a wrong idea after all. Mood killer.

"Daddy promised me, I could have chicken nuggets. Do you like chicken nuggets, Miss Steele? I love them with fries and ketchyo." Ellie excitedly told me as she reached for my hand. Meanwhile, Christian hold the door open for us, I thanked him with a smile and a blush.

"Ketchyo?" I asked them with a questioning look, making Christian roll his eyes with a smile.

"Ketchup and mayonnaise put together. She calls it ketchyo." He explained to me as we walked toward the parking spot, where our cars were parked. We stopped by his truck, where he helped Ellie in her seat and fastened her seat belt.

"I fear, we will have to go somewhere that serves chicken nuggets." He said after he closed her door, look apologetically at me. The sun was going down in the sky, in this light, he looked even better.

"It's no problem. I will just follow you with my car." Being the awkward person that I was, I waved quickly at him before walking to my own car, my face red as a beet, my heart thumbing wildly. Fuck. Talk about embarrassing myself.

I waved at him.

I waved.

In my car, I felt the immense need to bang my head against the steering wheel repeatedly, maybe it would help me stop waving awkwardly or make my head explode, so I could be free from this embarrassing torture. God. Why couldn't I behave like a normal human being around him? Dutifully, I followed him with my car through Seattle as he lead me to small Mom and Pop Burger place with a green door and red neon lights. With a last quick prayer to the guy above, I left my car when we parked side by side, hanging my purse over my shoulder, my jacket loosely in my hand. I watched him help Ellie out of her seat, his ass perfectly in front of my eyes as he leaned down, his jeans giving me a great view.

A gunshot wound would have hurt me less than the buzzing feeling that went through my treacherous body, my _kitty –_ thanks to Andrea I couldn't even call it something else now – aching for him. I supposed it wanted to roar, but since it was a part of me, it only could meow pathetically.

Desire. That was what I was feeling. I should probably call it by its name, denial wasn't going to work, that was sure. Christian was a good-looking man, he was muscular, but not beefy, he was tall, he had a pretty face and to top it all, he was cute with his kid. Of course, my ovaries found him attractive, he was everything a woman could want. But that didn't change the fact, that I shouldn't want him, not while his kid was in my class, not while I had a job to lose. Crap. I really shouldn't have come here, I thought, but it was too late now. If I just went home now, it would be even more awkward than my catastrophic wave. That was enough humiliation for one day.

"Thanks for the invitation, Mr. Grey." I said crossing my arms at my chest, trying to sound more polite than nervous. I licked my lips in a nervous gesture, as Ellie jumped to her feet, her dad closing the car's door after her. He turned to me with a frown.

"I thought, we had agreed on 'Christian'." He said, sounding a little bit reproachful. I feel small under his stare, his gray eyes shrinking my confidence.

"Yes, thanks for the invitation, Christian." I corrected myself, making him smile cheerfully.

"It's my pleasure, Miss Steele." He says, now it was my time to frown.

"I don't think it's necessary to call me 'Miss Steele'. Call me Ana." I offered, thinking that it was only fair since I was allowed to use his first name. He wholeheartedly accepted my offer, making Ellie ask me if she could call me Ana, too.

"That wouldn't be appropriate since I am your teacher." I explained to her, leaning down toward her with my hands on my knees. She looked at me with a concentrated face, before she answered.

"But we aren't at school right now." She said with a smug grin. Her father scolded her immediately.

"Ellie, you can only call people by their first name when they allow it." He looked at her sternly, making her apologize to me.

"How about you call me Ana when you graduate?" I proposed, trying to cheer her up since I saw how she started pouting. It worked.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Steele." She said with a gleeful voice, before frowning again. "When will I gra-dua-te?"

I tried not to laugh at the way she misspoke the last word.

"At the end of this summer. That's not far from now." I said encouragingly. She nodded, pleased with herself, now reaching for her father's hand. I stood upright, as she told her father that she was hungry and if she could have some pop soda, too, but he wasn't looking at her. I doubted that he was even listening to her, because his eyes were focused on something else. He was bluntly starring at my chest, his cheeks red, his eyes dark. I followed his stare to my chest and blushed even worse than him, I didn't think that I had blushed this hard before, to be honest.

Underneath my purple long sleeved shirt, my nipples were saluting, the cold wind once again playing its wicked game with them. Holy fuck.

As if my life depended on it, I quickly put on my jacket, zipping it up, my fingers shaking. I had thought I had already hit my limit of humiliation for today, but apparently, I was wrong, my treacherous body wanted to play, too. And it certainly wanted to be played by Christian Grey. Said man was as red as me and was now talking nervously to his daughter, I didn't listen to what they were saying as we walked into the oil and beef smelling diner. A waitress, who couldn't keep her eyes off of Christian, brought a few pillows from the booths so she could sit higher on her chair. It was a small diner type restaurant with square, white tables and wooden chairs, the floor tiled in black and white, the walls a lush dark blue color. Thank God, it was anything but romantic. I didn't want to imagine what being in a candle lit, fancy restaurant with him would be like.

With closed lips, we looked at our laminated menus, only Ellie chatted bubbly, telling her father about her day excitedly. Our eyes met, the nipple incident had left its scars, so we blushed heavily, both looking down at out menus. Okay, Ana, I thought to myself, you better eat your food fast and get lost before you show him more of yourself. With my crazy luck, I wouldn't be surprised if I managed to show him my cotton briefs at the end of the night.

Oh God.

The thought about situations where he could see me in my underwear – or even without it - felt like a punch to my guts. A mix of desire and lust crawled upon my skin, my nipples now hard for another reason, buzzing excitement tiptoed inside me, all connecting in a dot between my legs, the one place that was trying to persuade me into giving him another peep show. From the looks of it, it was time to put my kitty in chains. Maybe I needed to buy myself a chastity belt, I was turning into a horny mess, all thanks to the good-looking – who am I kidding? He looked more than good, he looked spectacular – man sitting across from me. Normally, I would try to flirt pathetically with him, I would give up soon enough, though. But since he was the father of Ellie, the father of one of my students, he was a no-go, taboo, not meant to be mine.

"Miss Steele, do you want chicken nuggets, too? They have dinosaur shaped ones. I love dinosaurs. I wish, Santa would bring me one." Ellie interrupted my thoughts about her father, as she tried to take a peek of her father's laminated menu. Even though she couldn't read yet, she loved to pretend doing it.

I smiled at her, shaking my head.

"I think, I will go with a cheeseburger and some fries." I told her, thinking about Jose's offer to eat burgers tonight.

"Daddy, Miss Steele is having a cheeseburger, too. Just like you." She said with an innocent grin on her face, turning to her father.

"Well, Miss Steele has a great taste." He answered her, but his eyes on me. A flirty smile curled his lips, apparently, his embarrassment about my nipple show forgotten. It was enviable how easy he was over that moment. I still blushed underneath his stare, biting my lip as I kept my eyes on my menu. The waitress, who still only had eyes for the man across from me, took our orders, smiling sweetly at Ellie before she went away. Christian had agreed to let Ellie drink a little bit of pop soda, just because he was sorry for being late today. His daughter looked more than pleased.

"I'm sorry for being late today. I can't apologize enough to make me feel less guilty." Christian said to me after our waitress, who introduced herself as Lily, brought our drinks – yellow pop soda for Ellie, beer for him and me.

"I thought, this dinner was your way of apologizing? It's not necessary to keep apologizing, Mr.. - Christian." I said, nearly calling him 'Mr. Grey' again. I didn't think that he would be happy about it.

"Well, I just hope that Ellie behaved herself." He said, looking at his daughter out of the corner of his eye. Lily had been nice enough to bring a few pencils and a notepad for her to draw on, so Ellie's was focused on her task and not listening to our conversation.

"She always does." I smiled proudly, it was no secret that Ellie was starting to become one of my favorite students. He snorted at my words, shaking his head.

"Yes, she always does, until she doesn't. Don't let her fool you." Christian said with a grin. "Ask my mother. She spends a great deal of time with her, whenever I am working."

"Daddy is a car doctor." Ellie blurted out excitedly, making me frown.

"Car doctor?" I asked, looking from her to Christian. He gave his daughter a loving look, before he answered me.

"I'm a car mechanic. She calls me a car doctor because I _heal_ cars." He answered me by imitating quotation marks with his hands.

"Oh. Car doctor makes sense then." I giggled. Christian told me about his nice and helpful parents who were always eager to babysit Ellie whenever he needed them to. I listened to him with interest, as he talked about his former attorney father, who now spent most of his free time reading criminal books and watching _Law & Order,_ or how his mother was a proud hobby gardener.

"Nana has all kind of flowers in her garden." Ellie told me with a dreamy expression. "Even red roses like in _Beauty and the Beast_. But I am not allowed to touch them, since she protects them like her children."

"Well, flowers die when you pluck them. Your Nana doesn't want that." Christian said to her with a lecturing look.

"How about you draw pictures of the flowers you want? That way, you get to keep them." I proposed, making her beam at me.

"That's a great idea, Miss Steele. Thank you."

She went back to drawing on the notepad in front of her, her little tongue squeezed between her lips as she started drawing a flower, with a focused expression on her pretty face. She was really adorable.

"You saved my mother's flowers. Now I owe you even more." Christian said to me with a smile. I smiled back, brushing it off.

"I just did my duty as a part of our ecology."

When our food came, I watched Ellie mix ketchup and mayonnaise on her plate with the precision of a five-star chef. She happily munched on her dinosaur shaped nuggets, humming with a pleased expression. I reached for the ketchup bottle in the middle of the table, just like Christian, so our hands brushed. Even though our touch only lasted like two seconds, goosebumps spread on my whole body immediately.

"Ladies first." He said charmingly, I thanked him with a smile, fearing that any word out of my mouth now would be embarrassingly high.

"This tastes good." I finally mumbled between chews, nodding toward my plate where my burger as big as a big fist was placed. He wiped away some ketchup from his mouth with a napkin, before he answered.

"It's our favorite spot. We usually are here when we are not at my parents' for dinner. I'm not the best cook." He told me with a shy smile. "In fact, I would call myself a danger in the kitchen."

 _I bet he is a danger in the bedroom, too._

Goddammit, Ana! Stop thinking about him like that, I scolded myself internally.

"Mummy doesn't cook either." Ellie said with a frown. "I hope, Nana will teach me."

Christian laughed nervously, before telling her that she would have to ask her grandmother for private lessons. I supposed that the mention of his ex wife made him nervous, why though, I couldn't tell.

"Your mother works too much, she has no time to cook." He said to her and I didn't miss the bitter tone in his voice. Andrea had told me that they broke up because she had cheated on him. It was logical that he was angry at her.

"I love to cook." I blurted out to change the awkward topic.

"Really?" He looked at me, his smile thankful, he was welcoming the topic change.

"Yes, my parents weren't really good at it, so I had to learn myself. Otherwise, I would have been doomed to eat what my mum thought of cooking." I shrugged, munching on my fries.

"Did you grow up in Seattle?" He asked me with interest and soon enough, I was telling him the boring story of Anastasia Steele. If he found it boring, I wouldn't know since he listened with curiosity and asked me questions here and there, about my parents, where they lived now, if I missed them, where I went to college, and so on. Patiently, I answered his questions, although noting that he didn't give me the chance to ask my own. When our drinks were empty, he ordered new ones. When I told him that he didn't need to, he only said that he was enjoying our conversation and beer with me. His words made me blush, just like his intense stares.

After nearly two hours, Ellie got too tired and nagged that she wanted to go home. Surprisingly, I didn't want to go home, even though I had doubted my decision to have dinner with them. I had my fun, I couldn't remember having this much fun in a really long time.

"You didn't have to pay for my food." I muttered as we walked out, he was carrying his nearly asleep daughter.

"I invited you, after all." He brushed it off with a smile.

"Still, now I owe you." I said sulkily as I helped him to get his daughter inside his car. I opened the door for him, as he placed a sleepy Ellie on her seat, fastening her seat belt.

"Maybe you can cook me something." He winked at me when he closed the car door, now facing me. His sudden cheeky flirt surprised me.

"Um.." I stuttered, stepping back, so that I was pressed against my own car. He was standing really close to me, though he had to lean down a little since he was taller. His closeness and his yummy smell bewitched my senses, making another coherent thought impossible. Then, he went for the overkill.

"Or maybe next time we can have dinner just the two of us. You know, without a chatty child and somewhere that doesn't smell of burgers and grease." He whispered with burning eyes staring at me, his tone sensual, full of promises. I felt the cold door of my car against my back, while my front facing him was burning with fever. My cheeks heated up, I probably had reached new shades of red today all thanks to him. While his proposition sounded all too alluring, something I could do a cheery dance for, it still made me remember why it was wrong on so many levels.

"I don't think that would be appropriate." I whispered back, unlike him, my whisper wasn't meant to be sexy. It was more my instinct trying to protect myself, as if speaking out loud would make everyone, including Leila, hear that I was being asked out on a date by Christian Grey.

He frowned at me for a second, before his expression turned into something curious.

"Why not?" Christian asked, still standing too close to me, although I had rejected him. I feared that he wasn't going to give up easily. His question made me stutter, it might also be because how his breath brushed over my skin.

"Well, um… you are the father of one of my students. It.. it would be.. mo-moral turpitude-de."

He tilted his head to one side, looking at me in thoughts.

"So, there is a rule saying that you can't go out with me?" He probed with pursed lips, waiting for my answer.

"Not exactly, but it's still would be.. wrong." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He stared at me for a couple of seconds, licking his lips once, the sight of his tongue making me bite my lip. Dear God. His lips, his freaking lips. Christian's eyes darken as he stared at my lips, I immediately stopped biting them.

"What would Miss Williams say if we went out together?" He asked me after he shook his head, probably trying to concentrate on something else than my lips.

"Hopefully not 'you are fired'." I said with a nervous laugh.

"Answer me this, Ana. Do you want to go out with me?" He asked, ignoring my silly joke. He was a man on a mission, he didn't concentrate on anything else.

"I just told you that I can't go out with you since it would be morally wrong." I said out of breath, playing with zipper of my jacket, a nervous gesture. Christian rolled his eyes at me with a sigh.

"I'm not asking you if you can go out with me. I'm asking you if you _want_ to go out with me. There is difference." He said with a wink. His goddamn winks were going to be the death of me. I gulped hardly, feeling investigated.

"That doesn't make a difference. In the end, we _can't_ go out."

"But you said that there was no rule. Are your morals holding you back, Miss Steele?" He asked challengingly, infuriating me in the process. I didn't like how he pestered me, I had a right to reject him after all. With a frown, I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Nothing is holding me back, _Mr. Grey._ " I stressed his name. "I just don't want to go out with you, okay?"

He laughed at my words, shaking his head.

"You are a terrible liar, Miss Steele." He teased me, again winking. _Goddammit! Do you have something in your eye?_ That fucker obviously knew what his winks and words were doing to my body, he wasn't blind, he must knew how much my body ached for him.

"And you are rudely unrelenting. You should take my 'no' and stop talking me into something I don't want to." I was a liar, a liar who was going to have to do lots of explaining to God. Lying and lusting? I had a VIP seat in hell, I was sure.

Suddenly, Christian stepped forward, making me press myself against my car's side. He put both of his hands onto the roof, sandwiching me between his arms, his head bowed down toward me. Oh god. _No, please don't kiss me._

He didn't kiss me, though.

"You don't want this?" He whispered, his lips so close to mine. I blinked rapidly, trying not to lean forward and press my lips on his.

"N-no." I said, shaking my head, which was a mistake since it made our nose tips brush each other. Fuck. Even that was hot with him. A smile curled his lips, his eyes glistening with mischief.

"You are a terrible liar, Ana." He only said, before softly putting his lips on mine.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to Lisanomoreaguest for this chapter ;)**

 **Cliffies are the source of all evil, just like me :D**

 **I feed on your frustration, remember that.**

 **xoxo**

 **Melii**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the love, although the reviews might improve in number a little ;)**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **8\. From friends and flirts**

"You look guilty." Andrea said with a suspicious look on her face, her hazel eyes squeezed as they scanned my flushed face. I gave her my most innocent look, my blue eyes widen, my eyebrows a little raised, although I was nothing but innocent. I was a dirty, dirty liar, pants on fire.

 _Stop thinking about liars or pants._

"You are hiding something, Steele. I can totally smell it on you." She pursed her lips at me, before raising her glass of Vodka Cranberry. As she took a sip, her eyes didn't leave my face.

"I showered before I came here." I said with a shrug and a nervous smile, reaching for my own drink. Andrea, Jose and our colleague, Nicole, had persuaded me to go out tonight, our destination a bar called _Seatdown_ in the heart of Seattle. I had only agreed because drowning my internal fight in alcohol sounded pain soothing.

"You have been awfully flustered the whole week, your left eye twitches from time to time, and your handwriting is not its usual clean self." Andrea said to me, before turning to Nicole. "That's typical for her when she feels guilty about something."

Nicole nod, now looking at me with a suspicious look, too. Great. They were a team.

"You stalker. Did you have your eyes on me for the past week?" I snorted, fidgeting with the bracelet around my wrist. It was a gift from Mum's last vacation, a light blue and yellow colored thing with miniature clams and starfishes. I had tried to plan the rest of my outfit based on it, deciding to wear a light jeans, a white t-shirt and my yellow flats. My hair was up in a ponytail, simple and easy just like I liked it.

Jose threw an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to his side in a protective gesture, making me nearly throw over my glass of beer. In the last minute, I saved it though. His cologne filled my nostrils, as he patted my shoulder.

"No worries, Ana bear. I'm protecting you." He grimaced at Andrea and Nicole playfully. Andrea stuck out her tongue at him.

"She didn't deny that she was hiding something, so I was right. What are you hiding, _Ana bear_?" Andrea asked, mocking Jose's voice as she said his new nickname for me.

"Ana bear?" Nicole asked with a grin on her face, as I rolled my eyes at them.

"I will never hear the end of it, will I?" I asked with a frown, pinching Jose's side. "It's your fault."

He raised his hands in resigning gesture. "Hey! I was just trying to protect you."

"Well, you didn't. Thank you." I said with a smirk.

"Next time, princess better save herself. The prince is giving up." He joked with schemed hurt look.

"Princesses don't need princes to save themselves." I said with a raised chin, quoting Ellie Grey, who was fighting with one of her classmates about the same topic just yesterday.

 _Oh God._

 _Don't think about anyone with the surname Grey, especially not a dark-copper haired one._

 _Don't think about his sex hair, his gray eyes, his charismatic smiles, his kissable lips – especially not his lips!_

 _And don't think about his lips on yours._

"Stop with the flirting. Answer me, Ana bear. What are you hiding?" Andrea interrupted our – as she called it – flirting. I didn't think that I was flirting with Jose, to be honest. We were always like this, we joked around nonstop.

"I'm not hiding anything." _Liar._

"Is it something scandalous? Did you hear new gossip? About who? I know you well enough to know that you would keep stuff like that to yourself." Andrea pestered me, the alcohol in her blood making her more annoying than she actually was. Maybe I should make her stop drinking, for my own sake.

"How long do you want me to tell you that I am not hiding anything?" I huffed with an eye roll, although I was hiding something big, something scandalous as she called it.

"Fine. Don't tell us now. Eventually, I will find out anyway. I always do, you know that." She smirked cockily, winking at me. With her wink, the storm of memories hit me out of nowhere, nearly knocking me off my seat.

 _Lips meeting lips, soft touches on my hips as his hands slowly made their way up to my waist, pulling me tighter to him, teeth clashing as our mouths open, our tongues a wild mess, my hands on his neck, the soft curls of his hair between my finger, my willpower zero, my desire out of this world._

" _Fuck." He mumbled at my lips, before kissing me again and again, one of his hands making its way up to my head, getting lost between my brown hair. I liked the way he tried to control our kiss by holding my head tightly, tilting it to the side when our nose kept hitting each other. My heart beat furiously in my chest, my hormones were doing a crazy dance in my body as they wandered to the one spot between my legs. I tried not to laugh into his mouth as I couldn't stop thinking about kitties, laughing while kissing was probably the least attractive thing to do._

 _Even though, I was breaking my own rules right now, I couldn't have cared less. His lips on mine felt too good to have any morals left._

 _Fuck morals, I thought._

 _And fuck him – in a very, very good way._

 _My panties were trying to squeeze their way out of my pants, my legs were saying 'let's do an open house event'. With the last bit of what was left of my dignity and my morals, I managed to keep them closed, allowing myself this kiss, but nothing more._

 _A kiss wouldn't hurt anyone, right?_

 _We didn't have to talk about it afterward, so it was okay to kiss him right now._

 _A soft moan roared in his throat as he deepened our kiss, sucking on my bottom lip and tongue, biting, kissing, taking whatever he wanted. I gave him everything he asked for, enjoying our kiss with buzzing excitement and a pool of wetness between my legs. A wet kitty, I thought with a grin, not able to stop my thoughts. Real kitties didn't like to be wet, but this special kind of kitty would like to be wet nonstop – especially, if it was caused by Mr. Grey._

" _Come home with me." Christian, who stopped our kiss when he felt my grin, whispered to me, his tone direct._

" _I will put Ellie to bed, before I take you to mine." He sounded out of breath, his words turning me on more until I realized what he had said._

 _Ellie._

 _I couldn't have sex with him. He was Ellie's father._

Jose nudged my shoulder with his, taking me back to the now and then. He gave me a questioning look, obviously knowing that I had been somewhere else with my thoughts, I brushed it off with a smile. Meanwhile, Nicole and Andrea were giggling like hens as they kept fluttering their eyes at two gentlemen at the bar. They raised their glasses toward our table, one of them even winked at me – _Please, for the love of God, don't wink at me, people -_ , making me roll my eyes. I wasn't really fancying drunk, suit wearing, sweaty men.

 _We all know that you fancy truck driving, messy haired, intense daddies, girl._

"I think, we have lost them completely." Jose shook his head at our two friends, who were discussing if they should go over to the men.

"They are going to replace us soon." I said, giggling.

"I can survive the night without them, but not without you." He smiled down at me, his white teeth contrasting his olive skin.

"Well, since I am your driver, it's no wonder you say that." I answered with a sassy tone, my grin huge on my flushed face. It was really hot in this stuffed bar, they should install some aircons. Maybe it's the beer I was drinking, or maybe it was the memory of the hot kiss I had only a few days ago.

To say that it had affected me would be an underestimation. It had changed my whole behavior, Andrea had really done great job at analyzing me, especially toward my boss and my students. Since the night where Christian Grey had kissed me like no man before, I was suffering under the constant fear that Leila would see through me and fire my ass before I could explain myself. Yes, there was technically no rule against a kiss with Christian Grey, but it was morally questionable. I didn't think that _Mrs. Williams'_ was a place for teachers who rather made decisions based on their kitty's wants and needs, instead of their morals and tasks as a teacher. My students were also seeing the change in me, I was more nervous at class, I stuttered a lot, and Ellie Grey, God bless her innocent soul, had even asked me if I was alright. That girl was too clever for her own good, I couldn't even hate her for that, it was admirable. But I could blame her father for turning me into a mess. I could blame him and his dammit lips.

God.

His lips.

 _Don't go there, Ana._

He had been more than shocked when I suddenly had pushed him away from me, stuttering something about morals and Ellie before I practically had run away from to get in my car. Without giving him a chance, I had drown away as fast as I could, of course not breaking any laws in the process. I had been lucky enough that, while Christian was kissing me like there was no tomorrow, his daughter had been asleep in his car. The next time I met her afterward, I was a total mess, fearing that she could have seen something, but God seemed to love me for once. Christian also seemed to have made sure that she kept our dinner together a secret, because she hadn't lost one word about it.

Although I was seeing his daughter daily, I hadn't met Christian yet. That was no coincidence, I was practically running away from every possible moment we could see each other.

I was just hoping that it would stay that way until Ellie graduated.

* * *

"Joshua, please sit down."

"No, Timothy, you can't have more juice. One cup for each, remember?"

"Alice, please eat your food."

"Susan, you can't have yoghurt. You are lactose intolerant."

Kids could be really messy while eating. They also could be very slow, their attention easily distracted, the talk with their classmates more interesting than their food on their plate. I hated this part of my job, being the cafeteria supervisor was hell on earth. It took me lots of patience and willpower to make sure that a group of kids was fed within the given hour, but eventually we managed in the end. Afterward, the trip to the bathroom was less chaotic, since little kids loved any opportunity to play with water. When their mouths and hands were washed and freed from food residues, we made our way back to our classroom, where they had time to play with toys. I leaned back in my chair and bit my apple as I kept my eye on them.

"Miss Steele, I like apples, too." Joshua's green eyes were starring at me when he spoke.

"They are healthy. You know what they say? An apple a day keeps the doctor away." I smiled at him, noting that he was holding another comic in his hands. I had noticed that he was carrying them around wherever he went, although some of their contents had made me frown, so I had called his mother to inform her about his newly found interest. Mia Kavanaugh had been in shock, since these comics belonged to their husband and he protected them with his life, she had no clue how Joshua managed to get his hands on them. I had thought they would make sure that they were out of his reach, but apparently, little Josh had managed to find them again. Seemed like, I was going to have another phone call with the Kavanaugh's.

"I hate going to the doctor." Josh mumbled, his lips pouting now. His blonde dark blonde curls made him look very cute.

"But doctors can heal you. Otherwise you wouldn't stop being sick." I tried to lighten his mood, my eyes scanning the rest of the class. Everyone was playing or drawing happily, only Josh was staying away from the loud crowd. I had noticed that he liked to talk to teachers more than to his classmates, he was an awfully shy little boy. I stood up from my chair and took his hand, walking toward his classmates with him in tow.

"Why don't we draw something with the others?" I asked him with a cheery voice, trying to encourage him to join his friends. He didn't look too pleased, but dutifully followed me.

At the end of the day, I said my goodbye's to my students, making sure that they didn't forget their stuff since it was Friday. Ellie was especially careful with her belonging, the thought of forgetting anything of hers frightened her. She made me check her pencil case twice, making me roll my eyes at her.

"It's rude to roll eyes, Miss Steele. My daddy says so." She scolded me with pursed lips, her tiny hands at her hips, looking too adorable.

"It is, yes. I'm sorry." I had nothing else to say, blaming Christian Grey again for leaving me speechless. He wasn't even here, goddammit.

"Bye, Miss Steele." A chorus of loud voices said to me as I waved behind their back, watching them leave my classroom. Finally, I thought, the weekend something I really needed. I was just packing my stuff, when somebody knocked on my door. It was Jose.

"Ana, will you help me outside? Nicole has an important phone call. Andrea and I are alone." He asked with a friendly smile.

"Um." I stuttered, nervously biting my lip as I tried to come up with a reason not to help them. "Why do you guys need help?"

It couldn't be that hard to let kids out without me, for God's sake.

"These kids are wild rowdies, we gotta keep them in control. Besides, you know how Leila is. She wants us to be friendly with the parents, small talk and stuff." He said with an eye roll, looking tired. I sighed and gave up, I couldn't neglect my job just because I was intimated by a certain father. Dutifully, I followed Jose to the entrance, where we sand the goodbye song with the kids before opening the doors for them.

Andrea, Jose and I stood by the side, watching our students run to their mums and dads, their loud, cheery chatter drowning my heart's nervous fluttering, I could hear my blood rushing in my ears as my eyes instinctively wandered over the crowd of kids, perfectly styled mums and tired looking dads, finally landing on a strawberry blonde haired little girl with a pink backpack. The man kneeling in front of her was breathtaking as usual, his upper body dressed in a white t-shirt and black, leather jacket, his feet clothed in dark boots, his legs wearing jeans. He was smiling at his daughter, his lips bewitching me from inches away. I looked away immediately, my skin flushing from my cheeks to my neck, my treacherous body once again giving me away.

"Well, look who we have here." I heard Andrea mumble in appreciation, her eyes focused on Mr. Grey.

"You have no shame, A." Jose giggled beside me, shaking his head.

"He looks mighty fine." She whispered, winking at him. "Ana agrees, right?"

"Huh? Sure." I said with a shrug, looking anywhere but at said person.

"You think?" Jose asked me with raised eyebrows.

"Of course, she does. She would be dumb not too." Andrea answered for me with pursed lips, her hazel eyes glistening with joy. I guessed, seeing good-looking men made her joyful.

"I mean, if you like that type of human." I said with a shrug, trying to look cool.

"The hot type of human?" Andrea whispered with one raised eyebrow. "He is a perfect ten and I would – oh god. He is looking at us!"

Suddenly, I felt a very intense pair of gray eyes starring at me, making me look up, my eyes immediately back on his lips. I bit my own lip, smiling politely with heated cheeks, barely noticing Ellie waving at me excitedly, her good-looking father far too interesting and bewitching to look away.

He tipped an imaginary hat and winked, his smile panties-droppingly attractive, before walking away with his daughter, while I only could think about kissing him, fucking him even like the shameless person I had become.

"Holy fudge!" Andrea exclaimed beside me, her eyes going from me to Christian back and forth.

"I knew you were hiding something!"

Oh fudge.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to my beloved milo aka Stargazer93 for this chapter ;) Her exact words were: "that's right bitches, Daddy C is MINE!"**

 **Well, fudge. Andrea totally can see through Ana, huh? We will see how she reacts to the kissing business :)**

 **More kisses to come, don't worry.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm really getting good at this update thing.**

 **Don't get used though ;)**

 **Thanks for the love, the reviews and the patience :D**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **9\. From confessions and rules**

"...and then he just kissed me. I had no chance to fight against it, it overwhelmed me."

Andrea watched me with an intrigued expression on her face as she slurped on her vanilla milkshake, her guilty pleasure. On special occasions, for example when I told her about the hot kiss I had shared with an equally hot daddy, she allowed herself to enjoy the sinfully tasty drink full of calories. I looked at her with a frustrated look, my eye brows furrowed, biting my lips in desperation.

After she had caught, what she called, the intense, fuck hot stare down between me and Christian Grey, she had put the missing pieces of my confusing puzzle together and approached me about my suspicious stares at the freaking hot daddy. She had been cocky, a knowing grin on her lips, as she called me out on having secrets. I knew you were hiding something, she had said, and I knew that I would find it out. I hadn't even tried to escape her millions of questions, I had let her drag me to the nearest mall after work, since she said that our conversation needed calories. Dutifully, I had told her everything, from his winks to his kiss, not letting out everything, while she had listened to me without any comments. Her silence killed me, I felt more guilty with each passing second. Maybe I should have been honest with her from the beginning, I couldn't stop thinking. I could trust Andrea, she wouldn't go and run her mouth about this. Though, the possibility that she would tease me about this until the day I took my last breath was high.

Her lips smacked when she let go off the pale pink straw, its tip dappled with lipstick and her vanilla drink. She tilted her head to one side, looking at me in thought, before she finally talked after what felt like painful years.

"Is he a good kisser? He has to be with that look." A Cheshire cat grin spread on her pretty face, her hazel eyes glistening with mischief. Just as I had suspected, she was enjoying my blush immensely.

"Y-es, definitely." I stuttered, remembering too well what his lips had felt like against mine. My tamed kitty purred at that thought, seemed like I needed to buy new chains for it.

"He better be. It would be rudely cruel if he wasn't a good kisser looking like that." Andrea said with a knowing smirk, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. My heart thrummed in my chest, only the loud noises of our surrounding drowning it. There was a lot going on at the _Shellbridge Mall_ , kids were playing by the waterspout fountains, grown-ups chatting loudly as they shopped, the typical ' _ching_ ' noises of checkouts barely audible from afar. Andrea and I had found a nice spot at one of the tables of a kiosk, which also sold milkshakes – a Vanilla one for her, a Strawberry one for me.

"I don't have enough experience to say that he is the best, but he is the best to me." I said with shrug, making her squeal in delight. With a hand at her chest, she looked like a proud mama.

"Look at you. Making such confessions. My baby has grown up." The way she grinned, I could totally count all of her perfectly white teeth in her mouth. It was scary.

"Well, it's the truth. And after you analyzed me with FBI precision for the past week, I think you deserve the truth." I said, making her roll her eyes.

"Honey, I am just a good friend. Enough of my fabulousness. What happened after the kiss? Did you guys have a quickie in the bathroom of that diner? Or in his truck? God. That would be hot." She babbled excitedly with a dreamy expression on her face. I gasped, frowning at her.

"His daughter was with him." I said with pursed lips, again she rolled her eyes. I feared that they would get stuck one day, her sass would be the reason for her blindness.

"Come on, you said she was asleep."

"We couldn't have done it with her sitting in the backseat. And we certainly couldn't have left her alone while we had a quickie in the bathroom." I let out, questioning her morals, even though I had none myself. Well, I now had them again, but while Mr. Grey had kissed me, they had left the building at a short notice.

"Where did you do it then?" Andrea asked with anticipation visible on her face.

"We didn't. He wanted to, and I wanted it, too, but I- I pushed him away and told him that it would be wrong, be-before I ran away, more like drove away." I took a deep breath when I was done talking, feeling free now that I wasn't keeping it to myself. It felt good to share the confusing, frustrating, but also out of this world type of memories with someone.

Andrea looked at me with an intense look, opening and closing her mouth a few times as if she was trying to say something, but at the last minute, she changed her mind. She leaned down to take a long sip of her milkshake, smacking her lips afterward, before she spoke up, her tone promising danger.

"So, what you are saying is, that you had a fucking hot man kissing the living shit out of you, who was desperate to fuck you seven shades to Sunday, and instead of accepting his offer like any normal, sane person would do, you ran away?" She blurted out, loud enough to make the couple at the next table look at us with curious looks.

"Shhh." I tried to calm her down, nervously looking around to see if someone else had heard her.

"Don't 'shhh' me. Girl, are you out of your mind?" She huffed with an angry look on her face, throwing her drink's napkin at me. She missed, it landed pathetically on the floor beside my chair. I leaned down and picked it up, not wanting to create a mess on public places.

"What are you talking about? It was the right thing to do." I defended myself proudly.

"Who says that? He was exactly what you needed, what your kitty needed." She exclaimed, nodding down.

"He is the parent of my student, I can't just have sex with him." I whispered with a flush on my face. "It would be morally wrong."

"Exactly. That's what makes it hotter." She stated with a dirty grin, waggling her eyebrows at me. "Sex that makes you feel guilty is the best kind of sex."

"What about my job? What would people think?" I ignored her wisdom, not able to survive the guilt even if the sex was the best kind.

For what felt like the millionth time this night, she rolled her eyes again, obviously annoyed with me. A groan left her mouth as she shook her head.

"Fuck people, and most importantly, fuck him. Fuck him well, and hard, and fast, and.." Before she could continue, I stopped her with an alarmed cry.

"Andrea!"

With a sigh, she brushed her face with her hands, careful not to ruin her makeup.

"You see what being sex-less does to people. You have to allow yourself to have some fun, Ana bear."

Of course, she had to call me by my newly given nickname. I rolled my eyes.

"Not with him though. Even if I can forget about other people, I can't forget about my job. I can't risk to lose it. Who knows what Leila would say if she found out that I have kissed one of my students dad." For me, it sounded reasonable. I had too much to lose, like my job or my reputation, I couldn't just risk that for a good – let's be honest, it would be more than good, it would be mind-blowing – fuck.

"Leila will be super cool about it. There is no rule stating that teachers and parents aren't allowed to have a relationship." Andrea said snappishly, trying to seduce me to join the dark side. I took a sip of my drink before I answered her, all this talk had left me thirsty.

"Yes, a relationship would be no problem since it's mature and socially acceptable, but not a one-night-stand." I argued with a raised eyebrow.

"Honey, I bet he would do very mature things to you if you let him. Besides, who said that it would have to be just a one-night-stand? He asked you out, after all. Maybe he wants more with you." She backfired with a cocky grin, her comment about doing very mature things with Christian making me blush.

"What would the other parents say? Wouldn't that taint my reputation as a teacher? Everybody would be like _'look at Miss Steele, she only has eyes for hot daddies, instead of doing her job'_." I said, mocking a deep voice. I had no idea who I was trying to mimic, to be honest. Andrea reached over to hold my hand as she looked deeply into my eyes. I must have looked like a crazy psycho, I certainly felt like it. Thank you, Christian Grey, for turning me into a mess.

"Nobody can say that you don't do your job perfectly, Leila knows what kind of super nerd you are, don't worry. Besides, you don't look at multiple hot daddies, you just have looked at one, who looked back. No harm done."

I bit my lip, my hands sweating from the chaotic feelings I had – guilt, lust, shame, desire, and so on.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked with a whine, my shoulders falling.

"Well, you have two options." Andrea said with a concentrated expression on her face. "Either you go to Leila and tell her about the attraction between you and the hot daddy, politely and professionally explaining to her that going out with him won't affect your job, before you go to said man and make him ask you out again. Or you don't tell Leila anything and go fuck him senseless in secret, because secret sex is super hot."

While she waggled her brows, I couldn't stop rolling my eyes.

"I think, I will stick with option number one."

"Boring." She mumbled as she took a sip of her drink.

* * *

On Monday morning, I woke up extra early – an hour, to be exact – and got ready for my day of work, a rather rainy day, unfortunately. I hoped that it wasn't a bad omen. I was a girl on a mission, and this mission had to be done before my colleagues arrived at work, otherwise I never would get a chance to talk to Leila in peace. My baby blue Beetle roared as I drove to work, freshly showered and neatly clothed, as if it could feel my nervousness. Like Andrea had said, I was going to talk to Leila like a professional, indirectly asking her for her permission, while explaining to her that Mr. Grey had asked me out. I had decided to keep our kiss to myself, though, because a) it was too personal to share, and b) I thought it would cast a bad light on us.

When I parked my car in my usual parking spot, I couldn't stop a satisfied squeal coming out of my mouth when I noticed that everyone else's car was missing, expect Leila's. I knew her well enough to know that she was an early bird. Before I knocked at her office's door, I took a deep, final breath, allowing myself a minute of simply thinking about my next moves.

I wanted to go out with Christian Grey.

That was the truth.

I didn't know if we were meant to be, or if going out with him would turn into a success, though. I just hoped that I wouldn't regret it, and making sure that I had Leila on my side was a good way to protect myself from possible, future danger.

"Good morning. You are early, Ana." Leila said with a surprised expression when she let me in. She was already sitting at her desk with a staple of papers in front of her, her computer throwing a dim light on her right side, a hot cup of coffee steaming quietly.

 _Here we go._

"Good morning to you, too. Ah, yes. I have to talk to you about something." I said with a nervous smile. I didn't intent to talk around it, I was all now or never.

Leila's eyes widened, her pen slipping from her hands in an overly dramatic gesture.

"Are you quitting? Please, tell me that you are not quitting. I can't lose another member of staff right now." She whined, making me feel guilty because I scared her.

"No. No, I am not quitting." I reassured her as I sat down at one of the chairs at her desk. She relaxed immediately, reaching for her cup of coffee.

"Don't scare me like that, Ana. I'm feeling anxious because of the Olivia stuff. Even though I was the one who fired her, I don't plan to lose another one of you guys."

That sounded promising. It certainly gave me hope.

"Listen, Leila, I have to tell you something about Christian Grey." I stuttered, already blushing with the simple mention of his name. No wonder his kiss had massacred any logical thought in my body. _Don't go there, Ana. Don't think about his kiss right now. You can think about it later, when you are alone in your bedroom._

"Is something wrong with his daughter?" Leila asked with a frown. I shook my head, smiling.

"No, Ellie is great. It's not about her. It's about Mr. Grey and me, to be honest." I was surprisingly good at this, seemed like I was really wanting to go out with the hot daddy. My boss gave me a confused look, leaning back in her seat as she waited for me to continue. I took a deep breath.

"He has asked me if I would go out with him. And I know, there is technically no rule against it, but I wanted to ask you if it would be o-okay with you, because I don't want to taint _Mrs. Williams Kindergarten's_ reputation." I gulped hardly, looking at her patiently, while anxiety was eating me from inside out. Leila raised her eyebrows, biting her lip, before a small smile spread on her face.

"Well, that's unexpected." She finally said, crossing her arms at her chest. I looked at her questioningly.

"Don't get me wrong, Ana, but neither of you is famous for being flirty, and I am talking to you as a friend right now. You haven't been with a guy for nearly a year, and you haven't show interest in anyone. I never would have expected you to ask me for permission. And he isn't really different than you. Since his break-up with Elena Lincoln, he has been a closed book. Just like I said, it's unexpected." She said, nodding to herself with a pleased look.

"Elena Lincoln is his ex, I assume?" I asked shyly. Again, she nodded.

"You bet she is. You will eventually meet her, if you start dating her ex husband." Leila grinned, shaking her head at a private joke. Her tone scared me, to be honest.

"She won't be happy about it?" I asked, alarmed. I didn't think that I had the patience to deal with crazy exes, although I was wondering why said ex should have a problem with me dating the very man she had cheated on.

"Don't worry about Elena. She can be cranky, but if you don't let her intimate you, you will be fine. Besides, Christian will probably try to make sure that you guys never meet." She tried to calm me down, before going on. "I must say that, as a boss, I feel touched that you came to me first. It shows that you have great work ethics. But as a friend, I want to ask you all about Christian Grey and his dick."

"Leila!" I gasped, making her giggle loudly. She had a foul mouth.

"Come on, I am dick-free currently. I need juicy gossip." She placed her elbows on her desk as she leaned toward me with a curious look.

"I thought you were going out with that Seamus guy?" I asked, making her roll her eyes.

"We broke up. He was too clingy."

After forty minutes of juicy talk about Seamus and his small dick, I left Leila's office with relief, making my way toward my classroom. I felt like doing a happy dance since she had gave me her blessing, although I felt a little nervous about the 'make Christian ask me out again' part of my master plan. I needed another intense talk with Andrea, her wisdoms now seeming life-savingly good. I prepared my stuff for today's class, drawing a happy smiling sun on the chalkboard since I was planning to talk about weather and seasons today. The first kids arrived soon enough, I welcomed them kindly and talked to a few parents politely, while my eyes were looking for the one and only hot daddy, I was desperate to see. Usually, parents dropped their kids off at the entrance, but since it was raining wildly, they came inside to drop their kids off. Wet shoes squeaked against the floor as little kids made their way to their desks while their parents waved at them before going away.

Only four minutes before the official start of class, Ellie finally showed up with her father in tow. The blonde, little girl was wearing yellow and white polkadot raincoat, drops of water dripping down to the floor, her backpack underneath her coat so it wouldn't get wet. Her father, the good-looking bastard, helped her out of her coat, making her giggle with his words, which I couldn't hear from where I was standing. He was dressed in his black, leather jacket from last time, it had starred in a few of my wet dreams for the past few days. His hair looked darker in its wet state, the ache to pull him toward to kiss him was immense, but I controlled it like a pro.

I watched him kiss his daughter on her forehead, before he stood up as she made her way to her table. Since he had her wet coat in his hands, he stepped inside to hang it on the row of coathooks on the left of the door, immediately our eyes crossed.

Desire and anticipation flooded my body as I stared into his gray eyes, a blush and a smile spreading on my face. I was aching for a kiss, and I hoped I would get another one soon enough.

"Good morning." I said politely, trying to give him a flirtatious look, but I never had been good at it. He was ten thousand times better than me in flirting, I was sure he was going to prove me that soon enough.

I was wrong.

Christian only nodded coolly at me, before he walked out, leaving me once again speechless, but this time because of a totally different reason.

Seemed like he had lost interest in me.

Fuck.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to hrsmith for this chapter ;)**

 **Well, fuck. Ana, well done. He was ready to fuck you against your car, but you had to say no, girl.** **You better fix this, otherwise my fsog ladies won't be pleased. They want you to do the frickfrack with Daddy C immediately since they want to see him in action.**

 **Until next time**

 **Melii xo**

 **P.S.: Step by Step's official Facebook hashtag is #freethekitty ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Boo.**

 **Back within 24 hours. You all should love me to the moon and back :D**

 **Thanks for the reviews which I can't read properly thanks to ffn -_- But don't stop reviewing, maybe that's what makes me upload daily ;)**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **10\. From signals and phone calls**

"You should totally buy this." Andrea said as she inspected the dress I was wearing. It was a plum colored thing with short sleeves and a sexy neckline, it showed the top of my boobs on my behalf. I swirled around, inspecting my butt with a look over my shoulder toward the mirror, it looked good even under the awful light of the small boutique we were shopping in. Andrea had lend me her pumps so I could see how the dress would like over heels, instead of flats. I do need a dress like this, I thought to myself, brushing my hands over the soft fabric. But a look at the price tag made me change my mind.

"As good as it looks, I can't afford it right now." I would have to cut back on my beloved snacks and books, that was not a price I was willing to pay. I slipped out of Andrea's pumps, my naked feet toughing the soft, crème colored carpet, I wiggled my toes.

"Will you help me with the zipper?" I asked the sour looking Andrea. Her fingers brushed my skin as she unzipped the dress.

"I could lend you something." She offered kindheartedly, making me sigh.

"I appreciate the offer, but I won't lend money for a dress. For something important like a book, maybe." I didn't feel well at the thought of taking her money, hell, I didn't even like it when my parents gave me money.

"You and your books." She mumbled as I walked to my cabinet, shutting the curtain behind me. The dress ended up as a pool of fabric at my feet before I stepped out of it to put on my own clothes. I couldn't stop looking at it longingly as I hung it on its clamp, saying farewell with a pout. Thank God, Andrea didn't see my expression, otherwise she would have bought the damn thing for me, no matter how many times I tried to convince her otherwise.

"I'm sure, the hot daddy would like to see in that dress. Or out of it." Her teasing tone made me roll my eyes, I wasn't surprised that she brought up Christian. She always did since she found out about my quick adventure with him.

"Well, I am not buying the dress for him." I answered, annoyed behind the safety of the curtain. I doubted that he would even care if I decided to walk around naked all the time. His cold looks spoke volumes, whenever he picked Ellie up, he barely acknowledged me and if he did, it wasn't his usual flirty winks. To say that, his behavior infuriated, confused, frustrated and saddened me, was an underestimation. I had no idea why he was giving me the cold shoulder all of a sudden, I could only guess that I had hurt his pride when I had practically pushed him away from our hot kiss.

I was sure that fate was dying of laughter, because it had managed to play its wicked games with me, once again. While I had survived the embarrassment of asking Leila, my boss, for permission to date him, he had lost his interest in me – thanks to my own behavior.

"You could buy something to wear underneath that dress for him. I'm sure he would have more fun with that." Andrea snickered, I could see her feet walking up and down the floor in front of my cabinet. She seemed to be too nervous and buzzing with excitement to sit down. I slipped into my jeans, my white t-shirt and my black cardigan and leaned down to tie my sneakers.

"Since he isn't even looking at me properly, that would be a redundant purchase." I said dryly before I left the cabinet with the plum dress tucked underneath my arm. A sales assistant took it from me, hanging it on its place. Andrea looked at it with a pout.

"Too bad that you don't let me lend you some money." She mumbled, shaking her head before turning to me. "He is just confused because one minute, you were kissing him and the next, you ran away. You should probably talk to him."

I rolled my eyes at her, tired of this conversation.

"Come on, I'm starving." I dragged her out of the store and we made our way to our favorite Italian restaurant in town. I wasn't an eager shopper, but I had let Andrea persuade me into a girls' day type of thing, where we could raid different boutiques before we ended up at _Pizzeria Da Giovanni_ , which was famous for its good-looking waiters and delicious Tiramisu. As soon as we sat down, we ordered our drinks – Caipirinhas for the both of us – and took a look of the menu. Just when we were gossiping about Leila and her ex Seamus, Andrea strategically lead to conversation to her favorite topic: Christian Grey.

"Leila has given you her permission. I don't know why you keep fighting against it." She said with pursed lips. I tried to suppress the need to bang my head against the table, repeatedly. Her rigid attitude was really frustrating.

"For the love of God, Andrea. He doesn't even look at me anymore. Why should I bother running after him, if he clearly isn't interested?" I asked with an eye roll. She huffed, looking crestfallen.

"Because you want him. And he wants you, too, but since you scared him off with your talk about morals right after your kiss, poor dude probably feels awful. You have hurt his pride, Ana." She exclaimed, slamming her menu fiercely onto the table.

"It was the right thing to do." I said, trying to defend myself. "We shouldn't have kissed without talking to Leila. It was against the rules."

Andrea groaned, annoyed with me.

"Rules schmules. Don't be so tight. Leila doesn't have to find out about that one, little kiss. Instead of running away, you could have told him that you have to talk to Leila first."

"What done, is done." I said dryly as I looked at my menu, contemplating to eat Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Basil and Olives. The ice inside her drink clinked against her glass as she took a sip, smacking her lips afterward.

"Nothing is done. We just getting started. So you better go talk to that man and make sure that to fuck him at least once. If you miss that opportunity, I will never forgive you, Ana." She sounded dead serious, making me raise my eyebrows at her.

"Why are you so focused on getting me naked with Christian Grey? You seem to spend an awfully lot of time thinking about my sex life." I asked with a curious look. Andrea just grinned cockily.

"As your best friend, it's my job to make sure that you get the proper satisfaction and trust me, Christian Grey can satisfy you like nobody else."

"He could be super awful in bed, for all we know." I argued with a shrug. She shook her head with a knowing expression on her face.

"Not after the kiss he gave you. The tension between you guys is so thick and loaded, it is a wonder that you haven't jumped his bones yet."

"I don't want to jump anything of his." I lied pathetically just when our blonde waitress came to take our orders. Before she could greet us properly, Andrea interrupted her with a frustrated look.

"Hi, what's your name?" She asked the confused looking waitress, a young thing in her early twenties with blonde hair and green eyes. She blushed heavily.

"My name is Kate." The waitress answered, nervously fidgeting with the notepad and pen she was holding. I looked equally confused at my friend. What the hell was she doing?

"Kate, you seem like a clever girl. Tell me, what a guy could possibly be thinking after you pushed him away, when you were kissing him just a second ago?" Andrea asked the flustered looking Kate.

"Andrea." I hissed, trying to kick her shin underneath the table. She ignored me, though.

"Um- I think he probably would be confused. And maybe even pissed." Kate stuttered, looking back and forth between me and Andrea as if she was trying to make out if we were mentally stable. I couldn't blame her, I could only blame my so called best friend for the humiliation.

Andrea smiled brightly at Kate when she liked her answer, before turning to me.

"See? Kate agrees. He is just confused. Just talk with him."

"How can I if he doesn't even look at me?" I snapped. "I can't just talk with him, since we only meet at kindergarten where he picks his daughter up. What do you want me to do? Ask him why he is ignoring me after our freaking hot kiss, right in front of kids?"

"You could text him. Or call him even." She suggested, being the know-it-all that she was. I rolled my eyes again.

"How? I don't have his number." I answered smugly, thinking that I now had the upper hand. I felt like Kate should applaud me or something.

"His phone number is saved in the records, of course. Just take it from there." Andrea said with a shrug, as if we were talking about the local weather and not about breaking my privacy policy.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't convince her that her idea was bonkers, she was too fascinated with it. The only good outcome of today was that we had met Kate, she was a sweet, 21-year old college student who shared Andrea's wit and my obsession with British Literature. It seemed like we had found a new member for our gang.

On Friday morning, Andrea burst into my classroom with a smug grin on her face. It was only a little after 7.30am, class hadn't started yet. Just last week at the same day, I had been talking with Leila about Christian, thinking that I was now free to date him. My plan failed miserably when he didn't even bother to look at me from the corner of his eyes anymore.

"Look what I got for you."

Suddenly a piece of paper was put on my table, right in front of my eyes. I looked down with furrowed brows at the digits written on the yellow post-it note, before giving a questioning look to Andrea.

"What is this?" I asked, watching her grin.

"It's _his_ number." She waggled her eyebrows at me. When I realized what she was implying, I gasped and looked down again with an astonished expression on my face. Suddenly, I felt like a wild group of butterflies was doing a crazy dance in my guts, his phone number on paper alone turning me into a mess.

"Where did you get it?" I asked, touching the paper gently as if I was fearing it could vanish suddenly. Andrea winked at me, before she answered.

"I have my ways."

"Wait. Did you take it from Leila's computer?" I claimed out, narrowing my eyes at her. I didn't want her to get in trouble because of me.

"No, I didn't. Don't worry about it. I just asked around inconspicuously and found someone who gave me his number. Nicole is friends with one of the mum's, she had his number." Andrea said, trying to relax me. "But that's unimportant. You better call him."

"Now?" I said with raised eyebrows. "I can't call him now. The kids are going to be here soon."

It was an excuse, but I secretly wanted to call him at home, where I would be away from nosy ears.

"Fine." Andrea smacked her lips, pointing a long finger toward me. "You have 24 hours, or I will text him in your name."

And since I knew her well enough to know that she actually would do something crazy like that, I called him the very same night. Clothed in my comfy pajamas and my big girl attitude, I picked up my mobile phone and typed in his number, before holding my phone to my ear. Patiently, I listened to the phone's _'toots'_ and just when he picked up, I remembered that I had no plausible explanation from where I got his number. He would probably think that I took it from Leila, though. Maybe he even would think that I was calling on behalf of Ellie.

"Grey." He snapped as a greeting, making me wonder if he was always so mean over the phone. I probably shouldn't have called him. Crap.

"Hi, Mr. Grey." I squeaked, like the pathetic looser I was. "It's me. Anastasia Steele."

Silence.

Silence in which I heard my heart rapidly beat against my chest.

Silence in which I felt like I was being sedated.

I really shouldn't have called him.

Double crap.

"Hello, Miss Steele." He said coolly. "What is the purpose of your call? Is it about Ellie?"

When he spoke about his daughter, he sounded worried. Crap number three. I probably scared him with my phone call.

"No, Sir. This isn't about Ellie." I grimaced at my own words. _Sir._ I called him Sir. For God's sake, we had kissed already, I shouldn't call him Sir. I wasn't into that kind of stuff after all.

His frown was practically audible.

"What's it about then, _Miss Steele_?" He stressed my name, while I tried not to slap myself for my own idiocy.

"It's about… us." I mumbled, feeling insecure now. I heard how he took a deep breath, before he answered.

"About us? Which 'us' are you talking about, Miss Steele? I don't suppose you mean the both of us, since you loudly made it clear that there was no 'us'." His tone is mocking, I deserved that. I gulped, biting my lip.

"Well, Mr. Grey, firstly I want to apologize for my misbehaving when we- um- when we kissed." I flushed heavily, close to fainting at the memories that flooded my head. "I shouldn't have given you a great speech about morals and rules, before I kissed you. That must have been confusing, I'm sorry for that."

Andrea and I had made a list of things I could say to him, I was very thankful for that. It seemed like I needed it like air to breathe since I couldn't create a single intelligent thought myself.

Before he could answer me, I carried on with a stern tone.

"I was wrong to confuse you, but I was right with my speech. We shouldn't have ki-kissed that night, not without me making sure that I won't lose my job because of it. My boss has been surprisingly well with the fact that you asked me out that night, but I just wish that we had waited until then, before we- um- we kissed."

Why couldn't I speak about kissing him with him?

I was confusing myself.

"Miss Steele?" He finally said, sounding pleased with himself.

"Yes?" I asked with anticipation burning inside my body.

"As much as I appreciate your phone call and as much as I love to hear your voice, I would suggest that this conversation should be engaged face to face." He sounded like we were talking business, but who could blame him, I had been the one calling him Sir. I cringed.

"Um. Sure." I said. "We could talk on Monday when you..."

He interrupted me, just when I was going to suggest that we could talk on Monday when he picked Ellie up, although I wasn't entirely sure how we would have managed that with the Strawberry blonde, bubbly girl present.

"It's pretty last minute, but we could meet tonight, if you wish. I know a great place where we could _talk_ in peace."

The way he stressed 'talk' promised a lot of things.

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 **Daddy C's ass belongs to mllezeau for this chapter ;)**

 **Next time: talk, lots of talk, ;)**

 **Melii xo**


	11. Chapter 11

**Even though my laptop's charger broke, I managed to upload this via the app. I didn't know that this was possible, confused Informatics student here.** **thanks for the tons of love and reviews :-***

 **NOT BETAED!**

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 **11\. From talks and risks**

The realisation that, I was going to meet Christian Grey on a Friday night in a bar, hit me soon enough. Anticipation and anxiety spread in my body like wildfire, tieing my throat while making my fingertips tingle at the same time. I could feel a mental breakdown making its way up from deep inside my brain as i realised that I hadn't had time to mentally prepare myself for this situation and now, I was right in the middle of it. It reached its peek when I stood in front of my wardrobe to pick up an outfit that didn't look like boring kindergarten teacher. My options were limited: I was either wearing a jeans- the ones that made my ass look great -, shirt and Cardigan combo or my one and only summer. Since my dress didn't even reach my knees, I decided to sport my good jeans and a sleeveless, gray shirt with a purple Cardigan.

A look at the mirror was enough to make me apply some make-up, a little bit of concealer, nude lip gloss and mascara. I didn't try putting on eyeliner, even though I wanted to, but I wasn't really good with it so I didn't risk smudging my whole face with black color. My hair was hanging to my shoulders, I contemplated putting it into a ponytail but I remembered that Andrea once said that it looked better down.

Christian – I was back to calling him by his name since we practically had a date tonight - had texted me the address of the small piano bar he wanted to meet at, his name on my phone's screen making my stupid heart flutter. I had no idea how I was going to prevent myself from having a heart attack tonight, his looks and his charming side usually had that effect.

 _You can do this, Ana. You will be cool – well, as cool as you can be – and polite. You won't be awkward, you won't be tense. Got it, girl?_

With a last quick prayer to God or whoever was in charge of nervous, horny and awkward woman, I put on my ballet flats before heading out with my purse hanging on my shoulder and my keys in my hand.

The drive to the piano bar called _Edward's_ took me longer than it should, because somehow my Beetle thought it would be appropriate to let out weird noises when I tried to drive faster. Crap. The last thing I needed was a broken car, but the worry about it made me forget my nervousness about Christian Grey.

Said man was seated at a booth with one arm over the backrest, the other placed on the table in front of him where his fingers played with the petals of the single rose placed in a glass jar, his gold colored drink right beside it. _Edward's_ was small, with private tables and booths for two and a stage placed in the middle with a grande, black piano. A man with a curly, black ponytail was playing a soft melody, entertaining the customers with his talented fingers brushing over the keys of his piano. It was a beautiful picture, Christian looked deeply in thoughts, a small smile curling his pretty lips, his eyes focused on the blood red rose in front of him, the soft music only adding harmony to the picture. He was dressed in his trademark black, leather jacket, a white t-shirt visible underneath, his hair a chaotic mess on top of his head, making me want to grab it. His looks made me regret my clothing choice. I wished I was wearing my summer dress right now. Maybe it would have made me feel more confident.

But when Christian looked up to face me, the look he gave me made me feel like the most beautiful woman on earth.

„Hi." I squeaked as his eyes darkened, scanning me from head to toe. A grin curled his lips and he stood up to greet me.

„Hi." He said, laughing through his nose. I had managed to embarrass myself within a second. Excellent. Unsure on how to greet him, I politely hold my hand toward him as if we were on a business meeting. He looked at it with a humorous expression, before taking it in his, shaking hands with me slowly. As our skin touched, a blush spread on my cheeks as I remembered the last time we had body contact, my eyes immediately wandering to his lips, lips I would like to feel on mine again.

 _Stop it, Ana. Stop thinking with your kitty. It's a hungry beast, who needs to be controlled._

„It's great seeing you again." I squealed, our hands still shaking. When it lasted more than it was necessary, I quickly let go of his hand. His grin got wider.

„It's more than great seeing you again, Ana." Christian said with a flirtatious look in his eyes. He gestured toward the brown leather cushioned seat, only a few inches away from where he had been sitting. As appealing as the thought of sitting close to him sounded, I didn't think I would be able to talk to him without being face to face. He noted it with raised eyebrows when I sat as far away from as possible, but he kept his mouth shut. I didn't know what I would have done if he had said something about it.

„What would you like to drink?" He asked me as he already waved the waitress over with a cool move with his hand. Dear God. I was calling his hand movements cool.

„Um- a Vodka Cranberry, please." I mumbled. I liked how he ordered for me, it reminded me of the heroes and heroines in my favorite books. Even though I was all for emancipation, I was kinda enjoying the moment where the hero in the shiny armor saved the helpless maiden – or in our case, where the leather jacket wearing, messy haired beau ordered a drink for the blushing, nervous wrack.

His gray eyes were back on me after the waitress went her way with my order scribbled on her notepad, the soft light of the bar complimenting his complexion.

„So, Miss Steele." He said with a teasing tone. „I assume you have something to tell me."

His cocky side infuriated me a little, a good thing since infuriated was better than nervous.

„I have a few things to tell you, Mr. Grey. But shouldn't we start with small talk? You know, to ease up the conversation." I suggested with a confident smile, crossing my arms on the table. He copied my posture, leaning towards me so his cologne filled my nostrils. I could count his eyelashes, in fact, I did try to count them, so I wouldn't faint from his intense look. His gray eyes were taking no prisoners.

„Ease up? I didn't know we were going to have a tense talk. Should I prepare myself for your ire?" Christian asked, chucking lightly.

„I wouldn't call it ire." I shrugged my shoulders. He tilted his head to one side, licking his lips once.

„What would you call it then?" He whispered. The flush on my face intensified.

 _Desire. Lust. Hormonal craving._

 _That's a pretty good summary_.

„Your drink, Miss." Quickly the Brunette waitress placed my drink in front of me, ignoring the smile I gave her as she made her way back to the bar to take new orders. Her sudden appearance had interrupted our intense stare down, I was thankful for that. I took a big gulp, enjoying the burn in my throat. It was better than a burning kitty.

„The weather today was pleasant, right?" Christian asked me with a humorous expression, looking sheepishly innocent.

„What?" I said, thrown back with his question.

„I'm making small talk. Just like you wanted me to." He said with a wink.

„Oh. Right. Yes, it was pleasant, even though it rained like crazy." I played along with a smirk.

„I'm sure the flowers and trees appreciated it. Ellie less so, of course. She was sad that she couldn't play in the sandpit today." He smiled when he talked about his daughter.

„Yes, it was hard to distract her with a puzzle, but we managed it." I could remember her pout when I had declared that today, we were not going out to play.

„But I want to build a sandcastle, Miss Steele." She had whined, crossing her little arms at her chest.

„I heard you are good with distracting people. Just like you do now, trying to distract me from the obvious conversation we need to have." He raised one eyebrow, daring me to fire back an answer. I loved a good challenge.

„Here I am trying to save you from my ire, but you seem to be begging for it." I said with pursed lips. He laughed out loud, shaking his head, before leaning closer toward me. He bit his lips sensually, his eyes scanning my face with darkened eyes.

„I would beg for anything of you."

 _Please don't talk in double innuendos with me. You don't wanna know how my kitty purrs angrily. It wants to be fed._

„You are very rude." I whispered after what felt like an eternity, breathless and stupidly excited.

„I'm very direct." He corrected me with a knowing smile.

„Whatever makes you sleep easier at night." I said with a shrug.

„I don't sleep well at nights." He said dryly, making me raise my eyebrows as I looked at him with a questioning look on my face.

„Why is that?" I asked, my fingers fidgeting with my glass.

„How can I sleep well without you by my side." He said with a crooked smile. I widened my eyes at him, my kitty wet and angry at me, as I realised what he was saying. Holy shit. That was quite a confession.

Suddenly he snorted, tilting his head to the left.

„You should see your face right now. As much as I would like to sleep with you by my side, you are not the reason for my restless nights. Ellie is very nocturnal, it's an adventure every night to get her to fall asleep."

That fucker had made fun of me.

How rude. How annoying. How… him.

„You are proving my former statement again. You are rude." I said dryly, pouting a little as my heart beat furiously against my ribcage because of his words. He would like to sleep with me by his side. It was impossible not to go crazy because of his statement.

„We could argue about that all night long, but I think we have more important things to talk about." He suggested, before taking a sip of his drink. I was paralysed by the way he licked his lips afterward.

„In our phone call, you said that you were sorry about something. What was it again?" Christian asked innocently, being the cocky bastard that he was. He enjoyed my squirming. I squeezed my eyes, looking at him with pursed lips before I answered.

„About lecturing you about morals and rules. And about running away after our.." I stopped mid sentence, blushing heavily. He grinned when I couldn't say kiss.

„Our what, Ana?" He asked, enjoying teasing me.

„Anyway, I shouldn't have given you mixed signals. I was telling you one thing and doing another, which probably was confusing. I'm sorry for that. It doesn't change the fact that we probably shouldn't have done it, not before I had spoken to my boss about it." I carried on with a professional tone.

„Do you always speak about _it_ with your boss?" He asked, making me roll my eyes.

„Of course not. But in our special situation, the fact that you are one of my students' father changes everything. I had to make sure that she wouldn't misunderstand this before I could… interact with you." Interact. That sounded so robotic. I was turning into Sheldon Cooper. Great.

„And what did Miss Williams say about you interacting with me?" He said with a curious tone, slowly swinging the glass in his hand left to right. I watched the golden liquid in it hit the edges of the glass.

„She appreciated it that I talked to her about it like a professional, instead of keeping secrets. Interacting with our students' parents wouldn't be a problem, as long as it is official and public. Otherwise it looks… bad." I had no other word to describe it otherwise, but bad worked pretty well. Things like this weren't meant to be done closed doors, that woild just throw a bad light on us, as if we were doing a crime.

„Hmm." He made with a thoughtful expression. „Is that your way of saying that you want to go out with me? Most importantly, that you are allowed to go out with me?"

„Um- y-yes." I stuttered, fidgeting with my fingers as I felt the anxiety crawling up my body from my toes to my head. His silence killed me, he kept his sweet time before he talked again.

„Well, I don't know if I want to go out with you." He said with a shrug, giving me a long look. My heart stopped beating, groaning as it fell down to my stomach, the veins and muscles holding it gave up – well, it felt like that.

„Oh. I'm sorry. I- um." I managed to mutter, the urge to hide immense. I didn't think I had ever felt this embarrassed before.

„I mean, you will have to ask me to find out." He said dryly, my eyes widening at his words.

„What?" I let out in shock. He leaned toward me, one arm on the table, the other reaching forward to pick up the red rose from its glass jar. He swirled it around between his fingers, smelling it once before answering me.

„You see, I have asked you out once and in the end, I got my heart broken. I don't know if I can risk that again by asking you out. It's your turn to take risks, Miss Steele."

That cocky son of a bitch.

He was a wolf in sheep clothes. He was having his fun by playing with me. How rude and sexy of him. The kitty nodded furiously at that thought, completely agreeing with me.

„There is a chance that you will say no?" I asked, biting my lip. I needed liquid confidence. He watched me take a big gulp of my Vodka Cranberry.

„You have to ask me to find out." Christian said, shrugging again.

Irritated, but willing to take the risk, I took a deep breath before I did what he had asked for.

„Fine. Christian, would you like to go out with me?" I asked dutifully, watching him grin like a Cheshire cat. Before he answered, he leaned forward and put the rose behind my ear, his hand brushing my already flushed cheek, my heart jumping back to its place. It was ready to beat again.

I touched the rose carefully, waiting for his answer.

„Just to clarify things, would that mean that we could interact whenever, however, we want to?" He asked with raised eyebrows, what he was implying making me squirm.

„Um- sure." I breathed out.

„And you wouldn't run away again if I decide to kiss you?" He carried on, playing his arms on the table, crossing them in front of him.

I just shook my head, cursing him internally for taking his time, torturing me.

„Even if I decide to kiss you right now? I could just lean forward and press my lips on yours. I could take your bottom lip between mine, suck on it, bite it like you have been doing just minutes ago, torturing me. I could push my tongue in your mouth, taste you, savor you. I won't lie, I have been thinking about since you walked in tonight, hell, since we met, to be honest. Would you run away if I did that, Ana?" He whispered to me, making my hormones do a wild round of tango in my guts, all of my senses shut down, only my kitty roaring loudly underneath my jeans. He was waving the drug right in front of the addict's eyes.

„I wouldn't." I managed to say, it sounded like a pathetic squeak.

„Then yes, Ana. I would love to go out with you."

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 **Daddy C's ass belongs to angelwish87 for this chapter. He says thanks cause she helped me upload this one ;)**

 **well, he is one intense mother fucker, right? writing him made me grin.**

 **for those who have asked: I'm not planning a CPOV right now.**

 **Until next time, Melii says Auf Wiedersehen :-***

 **P.S.: rude guest reviewer, get a life ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Melii is back with nearly 5000 words of... not the date :D**

 **Thanks for the love, the reviews and the obsession with Daddy C. He feels honored. ;)**

 **NOT BETAED!**

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 **12\. From girls and Nanas**

„…how is everyone? Your friends are treating you well?"

The fatherly tone of Ray made me smirk as I tried to clean a pepper while talking to him with my phone squeezed between my shoulder and my ear.

„Yes, Dad. They are treating me well. And they are fine." I told him about Jose's newly found obsession with photography, something he was pretty good at. Being the nature lovers that he was, Jose loved to take pictures of mountains, rivers and long winged ravens flying over frozen lakes.

„Well, he can take a picture of our next fishing trip." Ray announced, his proud smile audible. „He is driving over next weekend. A couple of guys from work will accompany us."

„Jose is going to visit you?" I asked with a frown. He didn't say anything about it, even though we saw each other daily at work. I didn't know what to feel about Jose and my father spending time together, they were friends, but Jose had never driven all the way to my dad's place to go fishing.

„Gia insists that you come, too. She can't wait to meet you and your boyfriend." My father said enthusiastically, my frown deepening.

„Jose isn't my boyfriend, Dad." I said, stopping my task of cutting vegetables. The salad I was preparing had to wait.

„Oh. I just thought since you both are so close.." He stuttered, I knew him well enough to know that he was blushing now. Ray was the second person on earth who was easily embarrassed after me.

„Jose is just a good friend, Dad. A very good friend to us both, it seems." I said, wanting to end this boyfriend business.

„He is a good one. Nice, polite and knows fishing. I am happy that you have someone like him in your life. Makes your anxious father sleep better." Ray joked. I suspected that he was hoping for me dating Jose.

„I'm big enough to take care of myself." I said, leaning against my kitchen counter with my back. „The big city doesn't scare me."

„I'm just an old father who wants to see his daughter's happiness. And maybe have some grandchildren."

I smirked at his words.

„You are not that old." I said, although his grayish hair was giving him the old man look. „You are too young for grandchildren."

Loud squealing coming out of my living room interrupted our conversation. I rolled my eyes.

„Dad, the girls are over and I fear that they are having too much fun in my living room. I will call you tomorrow. Say hi to Gia."

„Say hi to the girls from me. Are you coming over with Jose next weekend?" He asked, making me pout.

„Unfortunately, I already have plans. But I promise to visit you as soon as I can."

„Okay, Annie. We will talk tomorrow."

After we hung up, I sighed exhausted, thinking that Jose was going to meet Ray's girlfriend this weekend before me. The thought saddened me, I had wished to meet the new lady of my father soon, but unfortunately, I was otherwise occupied on next Saturday.

 **I'm kidnapping you on Saturday night. – Christian.**

His text came two days ago on Tuesday evening, making me jump and down in my seat, squealing like a giddy teenager. I kinda felt like the crazy mother hens of _Mrs. Williams'_ , whenever the hot daddy tipped an imaginary hat at them. With great pleasure and smugness, I had noted that he wasn't tipping anything at them anymore, he just smiled politely before he winked at me , dazzling me with his panty dropping smile.

Speaking of panties, mine were desperately trying to find their way out of my pants whenever Christian looked at us with his intense gray eyes. I had tried to act all professional whenever I saw him when he picked his daughter up, but professionalism meant nothing to me when his lips were so close to kiss, but so far since there were too many witnesses around us. The only thing I could do was to smile and do small talk, since Christian and I had agreed on taking things slow in public. We needed to find out what we were before we let other people know.

If you asked me, I would call us a project, something that needed to be worked on, and I was ready and willing to work on anything of his.

„Ana!" I heard Andrea call out, her slur giving away that she already had too many drinks. Great. The night was just starting.

Leaving my neglected salad behind, I walked to my living room on which's floor Kate, Andrea and Leila were sitting around my coffee table. They had put all kind of snacks – popcorn, chips, gummy bears, chocolate bars. You name it, they have it – and Tequilla shots on the brown, wooden surface. They had emptied the first half of the Tequilla bottle, which explained their loud giggles and squeals.

„I can't believe it." I narrowed my eyes at them with my hands at my hips. „I'm trying to cook us something yummy and here you are, eating junk food before dinner."

„Shhh. Ana bear, don't be so tight." Andrea chuckled, mocking Jose's voice. The other two laughed at her joke.

„Ana bear?" Kate said, looking at me with a questioning look. „Is that your nickname?"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

„Yes, it is." Leila said with a goofy grin on her face. „We all call her that and since you are now a member of our gang, you have to, too."

„Please don't call me that." I tried my luck on convincing her not to call me that stupid nickname, Jose had given me.

„Don't listen to her, Kitty Cat." Andrea had already given Kate a nickname, oblivious to my private joke. According to her, Kate deserved that nickname since she was the youngest in our group, originally from Oklahoma, and kinda lost in the big city of Seattle, but like a stubborn kitty, she fought her way through the busy crowd.

„Ana bear, Kitty cat. We have an animal muster." Leila pointed out excitedly. „Let's think about nicknames for us, too."

So, the discussion about fitting nicknames started, in which creative suggestions like _Kobra A_ for Andrea and _Bambi Leila_ were made. I supposed that the amount of alcohol in their veins made their ideas less intelligent. When I tried to convince them to help me with the food, Leila just yanked at my arm, making me squeal when I fell down on my ass.

„Have a shot, Ana bear." She said as she handed me over a glass. I gave up and took it, there was no way I could get them to help me now. Seemed like dinner consisted of junk food for tonight. I grimaced when my throat felt like it was on fire, wondering why grown-ups were lying to themselves about alcohol. It didn't taste good enough to enjoy the pain.

„I bet you feel less tight now." Andrea joked as she poured me another shot. Leila snorted unattractively.

„That's what he said." Her brilliant wit made me sigh, while the other two giggled like hens.

„Ha. Ha. I'm glad that someone with your wit is responsible of little kids." I said dryly, making her stick her tongue out.

„Shut your cakehole, Ana bear. Drink your shot."

„I'm so lucky to have met you girls. I don't think I had this much fun before." Kate said with a drunken blush, her light complexion gave so much away, she blushed easily.

„We are lucky to have met someone who can get us free drinks at a restaurant."

Andrea joked, her grin wide. She looked like a drunken mess, with her hair standing on its ends, her lipstick smeared, her t-shirt crooked. She would never look like this if she was sober.

„I think, Kate would get in trouble if she gave us free drinks." I noted, reaching for the gummy bears. I didn't think we would get to eat some of the Cannoli, I had planned to cook.

„We need to find someone who works as a bartender. That's what our group is missing." Leila said, chewing on popcorn.

„Oh. I have a friend who works as a bartender in this cool bar. He could give us free drinks." Kate said with an excited expression. She was a really attractive woman in her early twenties with blonde hair and shiny blue eyes, around her nose she had lots of light freckles. Her lips were full and uneven, naturally colored in a reddish tone.

„Kitty cat, you just became my most favorite person on earth." Andrea said with her hand at her chest in a proud gesture. Drunken love confessions were made, Shakespeare would be proud if he could hear Andrea quomting him, while Leila started laughing maniacally. Alcohol really changed people.

„Where is the hot daddy taking you?" Leila asked me. When they were making plans for next Saturday, she had remembered that I had a date. I remembered too well how they had freaked out when I had told them about my date with the hot daddy. There was a loud round of squealing, squeaking and telling me that I better wax my kitty because apparently kitty scratches felt better without fur on it.

„I don't know. He hasn't told me."

I had tried to persuade him to tell me where we were going to go, but persuading Christian to do something was impossible. He had just send following text, mocking me with his emoji.

 **Patience ;) - C**

I was a saint when it came to patience, it was a virtue I possessed, but something about his tone made me want to throw a temper tantrum like a little kid. He enjoyed that very much in a cocky, arrogant, but hot way. Something about his confidence drove me crazy.

„How can you know what to wear then? What if you dress inappropriately?" Kate gasped, looking at me as if Christian had commited a great crime.

„I'm going to wear.."

Andrea interrupted me with a groan.

„Please don't say that you are going to wear your casual jeans and shirt outfit." She rolled her eyes at me.

„I wasn't going to say that. And I don't understand what's wrong with it." I shrugged my shoulders, another gummy bears disappeared in my mouth.

„He has seen you in that outfit since you guys met. Maybe it's time for something else. You know, something that could take his breath away." She said, earning an approving nod from the two others.

„I'm sure he would like to see her out of her clothes." Kate snorted at her own words, earning a long look from me.

„Kate, I would hate you to turn into these ladies. Don't be fooled by their cool looks, they are huge dorks." I warned her playfully, nudging her with my shoulder.

„Dorks whose fashion advise you should take, since they dress to impress." Leila flipped her hair back with a raised chin. I looked at her doubtfully with raised eyebrows.

„Really, Miss _I'm wearing a Chanel blouse with sweatpants_?" I nodded down toward her lap where she was sporting dark blue sweatpants with white stripes on each leg. She pursed her lips, throwing a gummy bear at me. It hit my forehead.

„The fashion police doesn't work on girls'-night-ins. This doesn't count."

„Hey! You know what?" Andrea suddenly exclaimed. „You should buy that plum dress. You know, the one we saw last week? That looked super awesome on you."

„Of course, I will. As soon as I win on the lottery." I answered sarcastically, earning another gummy bear on my forehead. „Stop throwing with food."

I pulled the gummy bear package away from them, blocking their hands as they tried to reach for it.

„Don't joke about that dress. It was fabulous." Andrea said with a warning tone, answering Leila and Kate's questions about it. She described it with so many flowery words, that it made the British Literature student in me proud.

„Ana, you have to let us lend you money for it. You can't miss out on a dress like that." Leila begged. Before they could offer me money again, I interrupted them.

„I have a dress, I could wear. It's not my usual jeans-shirt-combo." I said nonchalantly. Just like I had thought, they were distracted with it.

„Show us."

Dutifully, I made my way to my bedroom, picking up my summer dress from my wardrobe. It was a cute, little thing with little, red and whire flowers printed on it. Its thin straps lead to an oval, socially acceptable low collar, its skirt reached my thighs. I had bought it last fall at a sale, thinking that it might come to an use eventually. Seemed like it was meant to be worn on my first date with Christian Grey. When I returned to the living room, I got approving looks from my friends.

„Well, that's a cutie." Kate said, nodding at herself.

„I thought I could wear it with a Cardigan since it can get chilly at nights. And my flats with my thighs underneath it." I mumbled, holding it up so they could how short it was on me.

„Skip the tighs." Leila said, reaching over to touch the fabric of my dress.

„I don't want to freeze my butt off." I said with a frown. It was unusually chilly for May this year.

 _Global warming be damned._

„It's worth the risk. Trust me. He will be all over you." Leila argued with a knowing smirk.

„More than he already is?" Andrea snorted. „I mean, the way you said he kissed you? Hot."

I knew I shouldn't have told her the details of our kiss.

„But won't it look.. cheap? I mean, won't it look like if I'm just asking for sex?" I muttered, maybe being a little old-fashioned.

„Honey, there is nothing wrong with just asking for sex. Besides, it's obvious that you are not that type of girl. You are not like his ex wife." Leila said firmly, her hands at her hips. I looked at her, biting my lip, because the mention of his ex wife made me nervous. She was the last thing I wanted to think about before our date.

„Do you know his ex?" Kate asked curiously, curious being her main character trait. It was probably a good thing since she was studying Journalism. As soon as we had made her a member of our gang, Leila and Andrea had made sure that she knew everything about the hot daddy and me.

„Yes, I do. We are friends on Facebook." Leila confessed, making Andrea gasp.

„Why didn't you tell us that before? Show us her picture." She insisted curiously, while I could only watch Leila pick up her phone with anxiety sitting on my guts. It felt wrong, snooping around.

„Holy shit. That's her?" Andrea let out as she and Kate were leaning over Leila's phone, the screen of the small device throwing a soft light at their faces. Their fingers zoomed in and out of the picture, analysing every corner. By their reactions, it was easy to say that she looked more than fabulous. Suddenly, my stupid dress in my hands felt more stupid.

„Well, no wonder their daughter looks cute. That's a great mix." Andrea stated, only now noticing my doubtful expression.

„Oh. Ana, we didn't mean to hurt you." She said with a sad tone, genuinely sorry. I brushed it off, telling her that it was nothing to worry about. Curiosity finally made me take a look of Christian's ex wife, a long legged Blonde with a breathtaking smile and mesmerising curves. Elena Lincoln was the type of human being, you usually only saw on magazine covers, someone who deserved to walk on red carpets or catwalks. To make matters worse, she was a professional and successful business tycoon, she had her own brand of shampoos, conditioners and bodywashs – her brand was called Ella, something you couldn't buy at the drugstore.

I felt like a good smelling bomb had hit me.

Bomb – 1.

Ana's self-esteem – below 0.

* * *

The next morning, the Friday before my date with Christian, I woke up with a slack feeling in my bones. My sleep had been restless since I couldn't stop from dreaming about a gorgeous Blonde making fun of me, making me regret eating junk food last night. I was sure that a therapist could have a field day with my dream, it surely showed that I let some pictures on Facebook drag me down. She probably didn't look this good on real life, I tried to tell myself. People put only their best photos online. Besides, I had nothing to fear about her.

If Christian had wanted her, he wouldn't have divorced her.

The slack feeling didn't leave through the day, though. Only Christian's texts managed to humor me.

 **I can't wait to see you. – C**

Did he used to say those words to his ex wife, too? Dear God. I had to stop thinking about her, otherwise I would ruin our date.

 **You will see me when you pick Ellie up. In approximately, two hours. – A**

I threw a look toward my class, they were happily watching the Disney money I had put on. It was a classic, _The Sword in the Stone_. They were oblivious to my flirty texts and my flushed face.

 **I'm not picking her up today. My mum will. I can't wait to see you tomorrow. – C**

His mother was going to pick her up? That was a first. That was intimidating. Had he told her about our date? Did guys tell their mums about the teachers they wanted to wine and dine? I feared that she would think less of me, when she found out that I was her granddaughter's teacher. Crap. Maybe she would think of me as a hussy, who flirted with her students' parents, instead of being a professional. I was such a mess – a nervous, horny mess since our meeting at _Edward's_.

After he had managed to make me ask him out, like the cocky bastard that he was, we had shared a few drinks while chatting about Ellie, his work at the workshop as a car mechanic and my degree in British Literature.

The sexual tension between us had been thick and unbearable, I had been so close to just jump his bones, maybe let him have his wicked way with me right there and then, but somehow, we had managed to keep our hands to ourselves. Talking to him was fun and easy, even though he was intimidating and rudely direct.

He always bluntly told what he was thinking about, for example, telling me that he detested Mark Twain's fragment on Jane Austen because he thought that Twain was just a misogynist or telling me that he liked the taste of my lips, he couldn't wait to kiss me again.

I had expected a kiss after his words, hell, I had even ached for it. But when we said our goodbyes at the end of the night, standing once again by my car, where memories were the freshest, he had just hugged me gently, his hand at my waist, before he went his way. While he had walked to his car, I had stared at him with disbelief visible on my face, cursing myself for not taking what I wanted. I should have kissed him, and by now I knew him well enough to know that he probably had just tested me. Hell, the man had made me ask him out, of course, he would make me do the first step.

Too bad that first steps weren't my strength.

Maybe tomorrow night, I would be able to kiss him again. I was hoping for it.

„Miss Steele?" I looked down at the boy at my side. Josh was given me the full puppy dog eyes experience, his green eyes exceptional at this.

„Yes, Josh?" I asked in concern, when I saw that he was biting his lips nervously.

„I'm feeling sick." He mumbled quietly. Immediately, I checked if he had a fever by holding the back of my hand against his forehead. It wasn't hot.

„What do you have, Josh? Where is the booboo?" I asked softly. He pointed to his stomach, cringing once.

„Why don't we call your mum to pick you up?" I said, feeling the eyes of the other kids on us, the movie not as interesting as our talk.

Josh nodded shyly, now holding onto my hand as if his life depended on it. I helped him pack his stuff, before I went to Leila's office with him, leaving the rest of my class to Nicole who was in the room next door. Leila was typing something on her laptop when we entered.

„Josh is feeling ill. Will you call his parents?" I asked her, helping Josh up as he sat down on a chair. He was hugging himself with his tiny arms, his face grimaced because of pain. I couldn't look at sick kids without feeling like crying, my empathy was too big.

„The Kavanaughs, right?" Leila asked me with a questioning look, her phone already in her hand.

„Yes. I think, his father is at home. His mum has a full time job." I explained, turning to Josh now. I kneeled down beside him, reaching for his hands.

„Your father will be here soon, Josh. Miss Williams will wait with you, okay? Get well soon." I said, smiling encouragingly at him. He pouted, again giving me puppy dog eyes.

„Can't you wait with me, Miss Steele? Please." He begged quietly.

„It's okay, Ana. I will check on your students. You can stay with him." Leila assured me after she talked to Mr. Kavanaugh on the phone.

„Thanks, L." I said with a smile, sitting down on the empty chair beside Josh.

As Leila left, I tried to distract Josh with small talk. I told him about my father's obsession with fishing, telling him that I didn't like fishing or eating fish, asking him questions about him, which he answered quietly at first, but after a while he was more confident. He was especially interested in talking about comics. I had a talk with his parents just last week about his obsession with comics, his father shared that obsession with him. I had told them that some of the comics, he had brought to kindergarten, were too violent for a kid his age, they had made sure to put them away safely after that. But Josh's love for them was visible on the pictures, he drew.

I had noted that he was a very talented kid, he was also very precise with what he drew.

Twenty minutes later, there was a light knock on the door. It was Josh's father, a tall man in his early thirties with a dark blond ponytail and warm brown eyes. Josh hugged his leg as soon as he entered Leila's office. I stood up to greet him, telling him that Josh had complained stomach aches.

„Thanks for waiting with me, Miss Steele." Josh said to me when his father carried him out. Unlike his wife, Ethan Kavanaugh wasn't very chatty, but he had a soft aura and treated his son kindly.

The rest of the day was over in a rush, curious eyes and nosy voices asked me about Josh's well beings when I returned to my class. I assured them that Josh was fine and on his way to the doctor.

„Josh goes to the doctor a lot." Ellie announced, her soft voice full of concern. „My mummy said that he goes to talk to the doctor."

Did Ellie just mention her mother? That was a first. What was it with Grey's and their mothers today? They seemed too eager to talk about them.

„You don't go to doctors to talk." Alice said with a frown, she always loved to correct people. „You go to doctors, so they can heal you."

„My mummy isn't a liar." Ellie stated with a frown. „You can go to doctors to talk, right, Miss Steele?"

All eyes were on me again. Crap.

I suspected that Josh was seeing a therapist, although I couldn't know why, and most importantly, I didn't know why this wasn't in his file. I tried not to frown as I answered my kids.

„Well, yes, you can. But if Josh goes to talk to a doctor, that's nothing we should talk about." I said, trying to distract them by telling them that it was time to pack their stuff.

The mention of the end of the day made them forget about Josh and his doctor, thank God. Loudly, they slipped into their jackets and packed their backpacks, before I let them out. My colleagues and their students soon enough met us at the entrance where we sang our goodbye song, before we opened the doors to let them out. Their mums and dads were already waiting, the crazy hens aka the Christian Grey fan club were pouting, since the man of their dreams wasn't present.

In his stead, there was a stylish clothed woman in her late fifties with caramel colored hair and a sweet smile. Ellie ran toward her with a squeal when she saw her, the woman caught her with wife grin.

„Nana!" I heard Ellie say loudly. I watched them from afar with Nicole and Andrea at my side, who were oblivious to what happened.

Christian didn't resemble his mother at all, I noticed. Maybe he looked like his father. Maybe Ellie had a hot granddaddy. I snorted at that thought.

„What are you laughing at, Ana bear?" Andrea asked beside me, still looking hungover from last night's drinking. I didn't know why we had thought it would be clever to have a girls night on a school day, but the promise of alcohol, junk food and gossip had made us decide for it.

„Christian's mum is picking Ellie up." I whispered, nodding toward said woman. Immediately, Andrea scanned them with her stalker eyes, taking in every detail like a pro.

„Her clothes look fancy. Probably Dior." She nodded to herself. I nudged her shoulder, warning her, because Ellie was just pointing toward us as she spoke excitedly with her grandmother.

„Miss Steele! Come and say hi to my Nana." She said proudly, waving me over. I blushed deep crimson, smiling awkwardly as I made my way over to them.

„Meeting the mother-in-law before the first date? That's just so you, Ana." Andrea had whispered to me with a grin before I walked away from her.

Ellie was all over me when I walked up to them, gesturing wildly with her arms as she told her grandmother about the time, I managed to build a decent looking sandcastle. It had made her day when I put a bunch of flowers on top of it, naming it the flag of the castle.

„Hello, Miss Steele." Mrs. Grey gave me a warm, motherly smile when we shook his hands. „It's nice to finally meet you. Ellie has been speaking highly about you."

„Good afternoon, Mrs. Grey." I greeted her, smiling although I felt nervous. „Ellie has been speaking about you, too. About your flowers, especially."

„Thanks for saving them, by the way. Since you told her that flowers die if you pluck them, she hasn't touched them." Mrs. Grey laughed like an angel, I soon enough found out.

„It's my moral duty to save the nature." I joked nervously, crossing my arms at my chest. Crap. I wasn't clothed as fancy as her.

„Nana, where is Daddy?" Ellie asked her, looking up with big eyes.

„Your daddy has to work a little longer tonight, so he can take tomorrow afternoon off." Mrs. Grey explained patiently **,** making me raise my eyebrows. I supposed that he was talking tomorrow afternoon off for our date, although we weren't meeting until 6pm. He had told me that he would pick me up then.

„Come on, Ellie. Your granddad has made mac'n cheese for you. Miss Steele, it was nice meeting you. I hope, we see each other again." Christian's mum said with a polite smile.

„Likewise, Mrs. Grey. See you Monday, Ellie." I smiled back and waved as they went their way. My cheek hurt from all the smiling. Andrea was at my side, immediately.

„What did she say? What was she like?" She whispered eagerly, making me roll my eyes. Sometimes, her questions could be tiring.

„She was nice, just like anyone in their family, I suppose." I answered with a shrug.

„You haven't met them all yet. They could be mean." She argued.

She was right, I didn't know what was yet to come, but I didn't bother over thinking it. For now, I had Christian and his texts which made me giddy and anxious.

 **I can't wait to kiss you tomorrow. - C**

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to sammyfl for this chapter ;)**

 **Well, no Daddy C in this one, but important meetings were made - personally or via Facebook. This chapter got longer than I had expected, but I guess, that's just your luck.**

 **Next time: the date, maybe a kiss, maybe even more. ;)**

 **Melii xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

**Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! Mutlu Noeller! Jeux noel! Feliz Navidad!**

 **Thanks for the love, the reviews and stuff :-***

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **13\. From lips and blushes**

On Saturday, I got up extra early to free my body from any superfluous hair from head to toe. I took a hot shower, using every product on my shelf to make me smell extra nice today. The last thing I needed was too smell bad at my date with Christian Grey, I didn't think I would survive the humiliation. Andrea's words came to my mind as I used my razor to get rid of the hairs on my legs, on my armpits and between my legs.

„A fur free kitty has more fun getting scratched." She had said, suggesting that I should let a stranger at a Spa wax me, but I didn't feel well at showing a stranger my ladybits. I had decided that shaving was a much safer option, besides I had no intentions to show Christian my kitty tonight. It would be too soon, too rushed, I didn't want to rush this, although I wanted him to be on first name basis with that part of my body. Soon, I told myself. Not soon enough, probably. Christian and I had first to find out what this meant, we had so much to lose to just risk it. A messy relationship between us could affect his daughter, and I didn't want that.

I hoped, I would be able to think this logically when I was around him. Usually, logic left the building when he was looking at me with those gray eyes of his, his lips curled into a smug grin, his hair all chaotic and sexy, his broad shoulders taunting me. Dear God. I was fucked. Maybe I shouldn't have shaved, maybe that would have prevented me from losing the last bit of self-control I had. Well, hairy legs were probably a disadvantage while wearing a summer dress. Crap. Maybe I shouldn't wear a dress, I thought as I slipped in my sweats until the date.

But a look on the dress hanging on a hook behind my bedroom door was enough to make my doubts vanish.

I had a small breakfast, toast with butter and cheese and coffee, before I spent my day tidying my apartment, starting from the bathroom to the kitchen, making every corner shine. It was a nervous trait, I always turned into to a cleaning monster when I was nervous, and nobody could blame me for being nervous today. I had a date with Christian Grey, and I knew him well enough to expect the unexpected from tonight.

Even though I had shamelessly begged him to tell me where he was taking me, he had just chuckled at my words, promising me it was worth the wait.

„I have no doubts, but this secrecy makes me anxious and when I'm anxious, I get nervous and when I get nervous, I talk nonstop, just like I'm doing right now." I had told him just yesterday evening, when he had surprised me with a phone call at 10pm. I had been dozing off on my couch, an half empty bottle of orange juice was standing on my coffee table with an empty back of mini pretzels, my snacks in front of TV.

„I like you nervous." He had said into the phone, his voice throaty, chuckling once. „You are cute when you are flustered."

„I'm not feeling cute. I feel like a mess." I had confessed, biting my lip, before carrying on. „You make me feel like that. In a.. good way."

Maybe the orange juice had been spiced, maybe I had become a braver person.

He had laughed quietly and softly, I had imagined him lying in his bed, his hair ruffled, his face wrinkled with laughter, his eyes shining with mischief.

„I like turning you into a mess." His words had been full of double innuendos, the main reason for my shaving extravaganza this morning. I didn't think I would have enough patience to stay away from him, if he should bewitch me like that in person. It wasn't my usual tradition to sleep with someone on our first date, I was even too shy to do the first step for the kiss at the end of the night, sometimes. But Christian Grey wasn't just anyone, he was the man who put my ovaries on fire with a single look, and I knew, if he wanted to sleep with me, he would make sure to convince me, unless I managed to keep my legs closed like a pro.

After a quick phone call with Andrea, in which she tried to convince me to help me with my preparations, I headed to my bedroom, listening to her advise to style my hair. She was rather helpful and enthusiastic, if I had let her, she would have driven all the way over to my place to help me with getting ready. I had kindly declined, thinking that I was a grown up woman who should be able to put on some make-up without the help of her friend. Besides, my nervousness had reached its peek, and the last thing I needed now, was a super eager Andrea around me.

I lazily curled my hair into soft waves, thinking that a natural style would look better with my dress. Just before I slipped into said dress, I reached for my phone and typed a text to Christian.

 **I'm wearing a dress. Is that okay? – A**

Maybe he would give me an advise now, I thought. His answer came quickly.

 **I can't wait to see you in that dress. And yes, it's okay ;) – C**

Damn him and his winks. Damn me and my kitty. Self-restraint was going to be an issue if he kept winking. I gave up, and dutifully put on my dress, swirling around in front of my mirror, looking at the swing of the skirt. I had great legs, I had to confess. No wonder, I had bought this dress. After applying some foundation on my flushed face, I managed to put on some thin eyeliner on my lids, before adding mascara to my lashes. I put on some pale rose colored lip gloss, grinning at myself in the mirror when my eyes wandered to the collar of my dress, where the swell of my boobs was visible. I tugged at the hem of my dress, trying to tempt my girls, but I had underestimated my bra and the way the dress hugged my curves.

Dammit. Now I was showing legs and boobs, but damn, if it didn't look good. I had a feeling that Christian was going to enjoy this very much, and it felt good to know that I would blow his mind.

I was just putting on some perfume, when the door ringed right on time at 6pm. He was punctual, I liked that. While putting on my cream colored Cardigan, I walked toward my door to buzz him in with naked feet, my brown flats were on the floor near my purse. After a few seconds, I heard Christian's steps taking quick steps on the stairs leading to my floor, and with a last prayer, I opened my door.

There he was in all his glory, his hair a chic mess, his eyes glistening with excitement, his lips turned up at the corners, a seductive smile knocking me off my socks – not that I was wearing any -, just like the rest of his outfit took my breath away. He was dressed in a dark jeans, a black shirt with its top buttons open, revealing his yummy looking, light chest hair, and his trademark leather jacket. As he stepped closer, I tried not to hyperventilate at the smell of is cologne, my cheeks reddening as a goofy grin spread on my face.

„Hi." I squealed typically, biting my lip as I scanned him from head to toe. I was glad that I had decided to wear my dress, when I saw the way he looked at me, whistling lightly as he eyes wandered from my naked feed up to my blushing face, getting distracted at the level of my boobs. When our eyes met, his stare was dark with desire, although he tried to hide it with his polite smile.

„Hi." He mimicked my tone, mocking me again. „That's one hell of a dress, Miss Steele."

„Um- thanks." I mumbled, compliments not something I enjoyed. „I was just going to put on my shoes."

I waved awkwardly at my flats on the floor, before my manners made an appearance.

„Do you want to come in? Maybe have something to drink, while I get ready?" I asked him, stepping away to let him in. He was still smiling as he shook his head.

„Actually, it's better if we head out, we wouldn't want to be late for… well, you wouldn't know." He smirked like the cocky bastard he was, making me roll my eyes as I turned my back to him to slip into my flats and pick up my purse.

„Still teasing me about this mystery destination? Isn't it tiring?" I asked as I locked my door, before we took the stairs to walk downstairs.

„Not while you roll your pretty eyes at me." Christian said with a wink, obviously caught my not so secret eye roll. He opened the door downstairs for me, I thanked him with a smile. His truck was parked on one of the empty parking spots twenty steps away from the entrance, he helped me up as it was a little high. As I sat down, I could feel his eyes on my legs, the dress had risen up, revealing my thighs. I blushed with my whole body, as the tension thickened thanks to his eyes on my naked skin. I saw how the tip of his ears reddened, as he mumbled something too quiet for me to hear, before he closed the door of my side with a sudden move.

„Fuck." I mumbled quietly as I watched him walk over to his side of the truck, my heart beating rapidly underneath my chest. We were buzzing with loaded sexual tension already, all because of my stupid dress. I squeezed my legs, trying to contain my kitty from jumping out of its cage, fearing that it needed to be put inside a safe if the night was going to be like this. Disapprovingly, I looked down at my boobs, trying to to hide them behind my Cardigan, as Christian started his car.

„Ready?" He asked with an excited grin, infecting me with his joy.

„Yes." I said, my cheeks hurting from all the grinning.

Christian navigated us through the city, his left arm placed on the car window in a cool manner, his right hand on the stick between us. I noticed that he had rough hands with long, clean fingers – fingers that were definitively on my to-do list now. The radio started playing, a song I didn't know made me frown my face with concentration. It sounded good, though unfamiliar.

„Lithium Springs." Christian said as the song ended. I looked to him with a questioning look.

„That's the name of the band. They are local and my favorite." He explained as he drove toward Bellevue, although he didn't take the road to the middle of the city, he drove out of it. I recognised the road we were taking as the way to the picnic area, my friends and I had picnicked there last summer. The weather was good enough for a picnic, I noted with a pleased smile.

„That was a good song." I said, watching Christian out of the corner from my eyes. I looked down to his lap immediately, like the horny person I had become, my mind full of images about what he was hiding beneath these jeans. Crap.

 _Don't go there, Ana._

I had to get rid of my nervous, horny thoughts, this was a date where we had to get to know each other and I wasn't doing myself a favor by lusting after him.

„I'm waiting for their new album. It's supposed to be out this summer." Christian talked about his interest with passion, I soon found out. He told me about the last _Lithium Springs_ concert he had been at, the after show party had apparently been legendary. He asked me about my favorite bands and artists, we soon found out that we had a lot in common, which was definitively a good sign for us.

After a couple of minutes, we finally arrived at the picnic place up on a hill overlooking Bellevue, the sun low on the horizon, the sky a beautiful shade of orange. To my utter surprise, Christian had already prepared something for us up here. A red and white checkered blanket was spread on the meadow, a picnic basket, a ghettoblaster and a few, litten candles were standing around the blanket, a high tree throwing a shadow over the meadow. A broken, low stone wall circled the edge from where you could look down at the city, its buildings' windows reflecting the evening sun.

„Christian, this is beautiful." I said as I got out of his truck, my dirty thoughts replaced by the beautiful image in front of me. My Cardigan was redundant, I noticed as the warm breeze brushed my face. Quickly, I slipped out of it, but took it with me, in case it was going to be colder.

„I have to confess, I had a little help. My friend, Jason, was nice enough to prepare these as I picked you up." He said shyly as we walked up to the blanket. Christian had picked up another basket from the trunk of his car, he placed it next to the other one. He turned to me with a smug grin.

„Miss Steele, would you like to join me with whatever surprise I have for you inside that basket?" He asked, bowing in front of me as he hold his hand toward me. I giggled as I took it, he helped me sit down on the blanket. I took of my flats and played them on my right, crossing my ankles as I stretched my legs, trying to hide as much skin as possible with my dress. I tried not to grin smugly as I noticed Christian's stare on them, but like the gentleman he was, he looked away soon enough. He took of his jacket before he sat down beside me, I watched him with anticipation running through my veins as he opened the first basket.

„Oh. It's pink." I said surprised when Christian poured us some of the champagne had picked out of the basket. I had helped him by holding the additional glasses. A smile curled his lips as we clinked glasses.

„It reminded me of the color of your lips." He whispered after we took our first sips, making me bite my lip as I blushed.

„And of course, your pretty blush." He added, visibly enjoying my squirming.

„I'm already on a date with you. You don't need to charm me anymore." I said shyly, he laughed softly, his intense eyes turning up the heat.

„For what I have on mind, I will have to charm you a little more." Christian whispered, the double innuendo in his words making a rush of lust speed through my body. Good thing that my legs were crossed, I thought the kitty meowed angrily.

„Well, I hope your intentions are pure." I teased him, thinking that making him taste his own medicine would be a change. He snorted as he reached for the second basket, his glass of pink champagne placed on the blanket.

„I'm not giving information about my intentions for their safety." He said as he pulled out different boxes, which he placed between us.

„I thought, watching the sunset with food would be more fun than sitting in a crowded restaurant." He said with a shrug. „Although, dinner will be more like lunch."

„Lunch is great." I said, reaching for one of the sandwiches he had unpacked.

Christian and I enjoyed our food while doing small talk, he even put on some music on his ghettoblaster, his CD mix full of my favorite songs. He asked me about my day, telling me that his days had been long since Thursday, that was the last time we saw each other. He told me about the extra work he had done yesterday, so he could take this afternoon off.

„Oh, right. That's why your mother picked up Ellie yesterday. She was really nice." I said honestly.

„She was excited to meet you." Christian said, after he chewed on a piece of apple. „Ellie had talked about you so much, that my mother couldn't wait to meet you."

„Seems like Ellie is talking about me nonstop. I'm sorry." I said, biting my lip. My sandwich was half eaten as I reached for some grapes.

„Well, you are one hell of a topic, Miss Steele. Ellie is not the only one who can't stop talking or thinking about you." He winked, his pretty face lit by the light of the going down sun and the candles around us.

„I hope you aren't chewing somebody's ear off." I said with a shy smile, my eyes wandering away from his eyes toward the sky.

„Jason gets to hear the most of it. We work together, so I spend most of my time with him. He heard about the first day we met, about the first day we talked, about the day we kissed, and about the day you asked me out." He explained with a charismatic smile, waggling his eyebrows when he mentioned our kiss. I rolled my eyes with a smirk, before I remembered something.

„Why were you so cold to me after we kissed?" I stuttered, his shoulders visibly falling. He sighed deeply before he answered.

„My pride was hurt, I guess. I didn't get rejected before, as arrogant as that sounds. And I was confused because you seemed to like our kiss, but then you ran away. I thought that means that you weren't interested at all, so I decided to stay away. But thank God, you finally opened up after what felt like an eternity." He joked lightly, making me purse my lips.

„It was only a week." I argued with my hands at my hips. The skin around his eyes wrinkled as he laughed prettily.

„It felt like hell to me. I had just gotten a taste of you, and then you were gone." He whispered as he leaned toward me, his eyes focused on my lips, which I bit with a flushed face. It was very clear that he was going to kiss me, finally. Before he pressed his lips on mine, he looked up to my eyes to ask for permission and I nodded furiously, a little too eager. I saw him grin smugly before his lips were on mine, my eyes closing automatically, nothing else than his lips on mine mattered.

My heart beat went crazy as our lips moved slowly at first, like a sensual dance, but soon enough, it lost all innocence as our tongues touched, lips sucking and biting each other. His hand reached to my face, brushing my reddened cheek before going for my neck which it grasped tightly. Careful not to spill anything of our food and drinks, I leaned closer, my treacherous hands making their way up to his dark copper hair, my fingers finding his soft curls. Meanwhile he had put his hands on my hips, desperately trying to pull me closer, oblivious to my kitty which was ready to hump his dick. I moaned softly into his mouth, too aroused to care about the sound of it, while I felt him grin at my lips.

„Don't laugh at me." I whispered between kisses, he used the opportunity to start kissing the corner of my mouth, slowly wandering to my jaw, down to my throat before he nuzzled my neck. I couldn't stop grinning like a dork, as I heard him take a deep breath at my throat, taking in my smell.

„I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you." He whispered at my ear, kissing my earlobe once, twice, before he gently biting it. I moaned softly, trembling underneath his touch. Right on cue, Christian suddenly picked me up by my hips, making me shriek surprised as he sat me down on his lap, I could feel the fabric of his jeans on my tighs. I huffed, looking at his mischief full eyes, me legs on either side of his body, my dress risen up. Slowly, he put hands on my naked tighs, drawing small circles with his fingers. I got goosebumps all over my body because of his touch, my nipples hard and my kitty treacherously wet.

Dammit. This wasn't going the way I wanted – well, that was a lie.

But as soon as his lips were back on mine, I forgot every doubt I ever had, my arms around his neck. I felt like a horny teenager as we kissed, doubting that I was this aroused before. He was bringing the extremst feeling out of me. I sucked on his bottom lip, a groan came out of his throat.

„Fuck." He mumbled at my lips before he pulled me closer to his body, so that I was very aware of his aroused dick underneath his jeans. Instinctively, my hips started wiggling, making him buck his hips up fiercely.

„Fuck." He groaned again, his hand now on my butt, pushing me down on his dick.

Dear God.

We were dry humping like teenagers.

How embarrassing.

In order to prevent any other actions, I pushed him away slowly with my hands at his hard chest. He looked up at me with a confused look. I huffed as our lips parted, my cheeks burning.

„I'm sorry. I shouldn't have got carried away." Christian whispered, taking his hands away from my ass. I noticed that hurt look in his eyes.

„I have enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. But.." I said shyly, biting my lip. He reached up to free my lip from my teeth, looking at me with a questioning look.

„But?" He asked, raising one eye brow.

„I just don't want to rush it, because I have the feeling that if we did _it_ , we wouldn't be able to stop, and I really like you, Christian. I want to get to know you, without getting distracted by _it_. And of course, there is Ellie we have to think about. We can't rush this, we have to be careful, otherwise she will be affected and I don't want that. I mean, the poor kid will have to deal with the fact that her dad is dating her teacher, which was like my horror story when I was a story. My father used to go out with my schools librarian, it was horrible…. And now I'm talking, I can't stop talking, God, this is…" My nervous talk was interrupted by his mouth on mine, his tongue swiping over my lips, before he withdraw himself. He grinned at me.

„I like you nervous." He said, tilting his head to a side.

„You make me nervous." I confessed, looking down shyly.

„Can I assume that you were talking about sex when you said _it_?" He asked with a curious look, making me blush. I nodded simply.

„And you think that having sex would be in our way to get to know each other?" He asked again as I took a deep breath.

„Well, yes. It would be rushed." I said with a shrug. He chuckled lightly before he answered.

„I won't lie to you, Ana. I don't think I will be able to stop once I have you, I don't think you will want me to stop. But that doesn't mean that I won't bother getting to know you, because I really like you, Ana. I knew it the day I first saw you. I saw your pretty blue eyes and I thought I have to get to know this girl. You were a shy, little thing, you didn't talk much, but your eyes told so many stories." Christian whispered to me, cupping my face with his hands, his fingertips brushing my temples softly. Before I could say anything, he carried on sternly.

„All my life long, I have done things at the right time, at the time it was appropriate. It was like that with my ex, our whole relationship was built on doing things at the right time, she was very into that. But I think that's why we have failed, we waited too long with things, so that with time it was only logical that we get married. We were together for so long, that we either had to get married or break up. If we had dared to break rules, dared to do things in a rush, maybe we would have seen that we weren't meant to be. That would have prevented a bad divorce." He joked, shaking his head before he went on. „Of course, I'm thankful that I got Ellie, she means the world to me. But after my divorce, after I met you, I promised myself that I won't waste time. I wanted to get to know you, so I asked you out. I wanted to kiss you, so I did. And I don't regret it."

Christian Grey was one hell of a man. He was honest, daring, a little bit arrogant, and he had a big heart. It was easy to like him.

„Neither do I. I just regret being a mess when we kissed. I'm sorry for…" I began shyly, he interrupted me with a finger at my lips.

„Don't be. It was the logical thing to do, I get why you were hesitant. We had to make sure that your boss was fine with this."

„What about Ellie? Will she be fine with this?" I asked curiously. Christian grinned with a shake of his head.

„I told Ellie that I was taking a pretty lady out tonight, without telling her that it's you. You know what she said? Miss Steele is a pretty lady. I think Ellie will surprise you." He laughed at the mention of his daughter.

„What about the other parents? They will talk and Ellie will hear about it. Won't that affect her?" I asked.

„Your boss gave us her blessing, we don't have to care about other people's opinion and Ellie knows that she shouldn't listen to gossip. Don't try to look for excuses, Ana. There is nothing standing in our way."

Expect myself, it seemed.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to everyone for Christmas ;)**

 **Kittyblocked again, I know, but there was important stuff to talk about and there still is, but it has time. Soon patience and all that crap :D**

 _ **Lithium Springs is a band from one of my favorite fanfictions, it's called Lithium Springs. Go read it if you love fuck hot tattooed Christian ;)**_

 **Until next time**

 **Meliii xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

**Boo.** **back sooner than thought with a chapter that is... you will see ;) it's definitely shorter than I planned because of the holidays and stuff. I hope you will forgive me for the short chapter and the teasing :D**

 **Thanks for the love and reviews, I hope it stays that way.**

 **NOT BETAED!**

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 **14\. From hoods and woods**

My Beetle roared loudly, making me cringe as I drove down the road toward the address, Christian had texted me this morning. I turned my radio's volume up, so I could overtone the weird loud noises coming from my car. Christian had been nice enough to propose to have a look at it, insisting that I come over to the workshop he worked at. It was the last thing on my to-do list on Saturday, three weeks after our first date. I had dutifully done my chores, scrubbing my bathroom tiles and washing the pile of dirty clothes which had been laying around my basket, instead of being inside it, before I had taken a fresh shower, in order to smell clean and not like sweat.

Of course, I wanted to smell nice for Christian. I also wanted to look good for him, that's why I had put on my tightest jeans and my most cleavage showing tank top. I used the warm weather as an excuse to skip a jacket.

 _My boobs really look great in this. Damn, girl. They are freaking hot._

Being with Christian Grey was being in peace with your look. He made sure that I was one hundred percent aware that he found me hot, he also made sure to remind me of that if I ever doubted it. To say that my confidence was on point was an underestimation. He never missed an opportunity to kiss me, to hold my hand, to put his hands on my ass while he kissed me into delirium, to play with my hair, to let his hands roam over my hips while we chit-chatted. Basically, he was very into touching, even though most of it happened with our clothes on. I was aware that Christian was ready to rip off my clothes any moment, I was also aware that I was aching for it, but somehow fate hadn't been on our side until now.

There had been a few situations in which things had gotten heated, but every time some thing had interrupted us, once my growling stomach, other times his ringing phone. Each time, I had been hornier than before, and each time, I had to take matters to my own hands eventually – usually in my own bed with me, myself and I.

 _God bless Christian Grey and the way he made me feel about my body._

Said man was waiting for me inside a rusty, industrial looking building with big, blue garage doors and dusty windows. Chaotic varieties of tool chests were placed around the huge room, cars with open hoods were waiting to be repaired. I parked my car in front the building, before I walked in, hoping to be greeted by Christian with a hasty, wild make out session, only to find him absent.

„Hello?" I called out, as I looked around, hearing the buzzing tunes of some pop song coming out of a radio not far away from me. I looked around, seeing that there was a closed area for the staff, a door with big, bold white letters stated that. The next thing I knew, there were heavy footsteps making their way toward me, a man with broad shoulders and a strong jaw entered, his warm, brown eyes looked at me with surprise as he left the staff room. He was very bulky, if I had met him at night alone in a dark alley, I would have been scared of him.

„Hello, Miss. Do you have an appointment?" He asked as he cleaned his hands on a towel, which had lost its white color. I noticed that the man was wearing a blue jumpsuit with big, oil stains over a white t-shirt.

„Um- no. I'm actually here to see Christian. He said that I could.." I stuttered as he started grinning.

„You must be Ana. Christian has been waiting for you." He reached over to shake my hand with his cleanest one. „I'm Jason. Christian and I work together."

„Oh, hi. It's nice to meet you." I said, remembering Christian mentioning his name a few times in the past few weeks. I could also remember that he had helped to prepare our first date. It was funny how it felt like it was an eternity ago, although only three weeks had passed. Three weeks full of dinners, lunch breaks and hot make out sessions. Life with Christian Grey was pure heaven, he certainly made sure that I was happy all the time, I tried to do the same with him, but it was nearly impossible to make him focus on something else than me. A girl could get used to the attention he was giving.

„Come on in. Christian is in the back, having something to eat, you know? Is your car parked outside? If you give me the keys, I will drive it in." Jason proposed politely, and I reached inside my purse to search my keys. I blushed as I handed him my keys with my embarrassing key chain – a smiling kitty face, Andrea's newest gift for me, the metaphor spoke volumes. As Jason walked outside, I made my way to the staffs room, knocking once before I entered. Inside, I found Christian sitting at a round table with a burger and fries on a plate in front of him. He was just sipping on his beer when he looked up, his lips turning up when he saw me.

„Hi." I said with a big grin, watching him stand up after he cleaned his mouth with a napkin. Like magnets, we were immediately attracted to each other, his hands circled my waist as he leaned down to kiss my the tip of my nose gently. I frowned at him when he didn't kiss my lips, furrowing my brows. He smiled as he kissed the skin between my eyebrows, his eyes darting down to my cleavage for a second before he looked back into my eyes. I tried not to smirk at his ears' red tips.

„Hi. Don't frown. I just had onions, I don't wanna kiss you smelling like that." Christian explained. I remembered too well that he had absolutely no problem kissing me after I had a hotdog with stinky mustard on our second date, so I wondered why he was being fussy now.

„I don't care." I said softly as I tried to put my lips on his, a difficulty since he turned his head away. I pouted and slapped his chest lightly as I pressed him away.

„Your loss." I said in a mocking tone, loving how playful we could be with each other, we were at ease and that was something I had always wanted in a… well, a relationship. That's what you could call what we had.

„Don't pout. It makes me want to kiss you more." He whispered, reaching forward to take my hands in his, his fingers drawing small circles on my palms.

„You can't." I shrugged my shoulders smugly, changing the subject. „I brought Wanda, just like you said."

„Wanda?" He asked with one raised brow. I tried not to concentrate on his lips as I talked.

„That's the nickname of my car." I answered with a heavy blush while he smirked down at me, his dark copper colored hair falling to his forehead.

„Well, J and I will have a look on Wanda. Maybe it's something mandatory and she will be good to go today."

„Are you guys the only ones working here?" I asked curiously, now noticing that Christian was wearing the same blue jumpsuit as Jason, only his straps were hanging down on his black t-shirt clothed chest, the bottom part sitting loosely on his hips. There was something deviously sexy about the way his clothes looked on him, it filled my dirty mind with lots of kinky fantasies about car sex, toys and him looking under my hood. I tried not to dwell on those thoughts, my skin flushing treacherously. Christian let go off me to pack his neglected burger and fries into a white Styrofoam box, before he answered.

„Only on Saturdays." He took a sip of his beer, before putting his food into the mini fridge standing on the left corner of the room. Christian told me to wait for him by my car, telling me that he had to go to the restroom and that Jason was probably already inspecting Wanda. He was right, when I left the staff room I found Jason leaning over my car's open engine cover. I noticed his concentrated and a little desperate look as his eyes roamed over the tubes and barrels – I had no idea what was inside it, to be honest - inside Wanda.

„I know it is an old one. I'm sorry." I said apologetically, making him look up. He smiled friendly at me, his brown eyes warm like melted chocolate.

„Oh- nonsense. It's a classic, my father used to have one of these. I learned driving in it." Jason said, smiling at the fond memory.

„Me too. My stepfather bought this one as a graduation present from his best friend, but driving I learnt in his own car. They had the same model." I could remember too well the day Ray had surprised me with my graduation present, Wanda had been waiting for me at the front door with a red ribbon put on it. Surprisingly, Wanda had survived nearly ten years in my hands. Well, until now it seemed.

„Whatever troubles it, we will make sure to fix it. I would hate to fail fixing Christian's girlfriend's car."

Girlfriend.

I liked the sound of that.

„I appreciate the help, really. Thanks." I said, blushing heavily as my inner teenage girl squealed loudly, jumping up and down happily since she liked being called Christian's girlfriend.

„No need to thank me. I'm glad I can help. Christian is a good friend of mine."

„Since when have you been working together?" I asked curiously as Jason leaned against my car with crossed arms at his chest.

„Over a year now, I think. He started working here soon before he broke up with his ex." He said, taking me by surprise. I hadn't expected him mentioning Christian's ex wife, said person didn't talk about her that much, after all. The only few times we talked about her was whenever he mentioned Ellie being at her place. I had found out that they had a very weird and special time schedule, Ellie was at her mum's place every second week and some times in the middle of the week, based on her tight business schedule and Christian's willingness to be a mature divorcee. His attorney had persuaded him to be as understanding as possible, even if he had the custody for Ellie, it still couldn't do any harm to be a good pal in case Elena ever decided to file for custody.

Not that I wanted to hear a lot about his successful, immensely beautiful ex wife, but not talking about her made me feel anxious. Wasn't he talking about her because he detested her or wasn't he talking about her because he wasn't over her yet? She had cheated on him, right? Shouldn't he hate her guts?

 _Stop that, Ana. Now is not the right time. Don't think about his ex, unless you are terribly drunk._

„You guys knew each other before that?" I asked, using the opportunity to find out as much as I could about the man I was dating.

„Yes, he was a customer before that, but we came friends after he started working here." Jason was interrupted by footsteps making their way toward us, Christian was back.

„Are you talking about me?" He asked as his arm circled my hip, his touch making my skin buzz over my jeans. I shivered when his fingers made their way underneath my tank top, skin on skin, a breathless and silent prayer on my lips, praying that I wouldn't squeak. I took a deep breath, inhaling loudly as his cologne and the faint smell of something metallic filled my nostrils, his smell and attire bewitching my mind. God. I had to stop thinking about car sex – more like a car mechanic fantasy.

„We were gossiping about you, yes." Jason answered cockily, earning an eye roll from Christian.

„Gossip all you want. She still likes me, that's what counts." To prove his point, Christian leaned down and put his lips on mine, surprising me. His mouth tasted minty, it seemed like he had brushed his teeth. Good thing he had a toothbrush here. The kiss was over too soon, unfortunately.

„I'm sure, I can change her mind. Remember, I know lots of stories about you." Jason laughed when Christian let go off me, both of them unaware of my widened eyes and my flushing skin. He shouldn't be allowed to make a mess out of me while he looked so unaffected. There should be a law or something.

„And you remember that I could easily tell your embarrassing stories, too. Maybe Gail would like to hear them." Christian mocked his friend, while my heart beat rapidly in my chest.

„Don't steal my strategy, Grey. Better take a look of your girl's car." Jason said, giving up at the mention of his embarrassing stories, his cheeks reddening.

„I will do that, J. You can go now, if you want to. I'm sure Gail will be happy to see you home earlier." They exchanged a few words about a planned date night, Jason was taking his girlfriend to watch a movie at an open air cinema, before Christian's friend excused himself to change his clothes.

As soon as the door to the staffs room was closed behind his back, Christian whirled me around, pushing me against the cold metal of my car, his hands on the roof of it on each side of my head, his hips pressed against mine and his tongue parting my lips as it made its way inside my mouth. Holy shit. It took me a minute before I could react, but when I did, I was one hundred percent into it. Our tongues danced around each other, fighting a silent battle as a million fireworks flew over my senses, exploding on the surface of my skin and between my legs, just where I was aching for him the most. The kitty was greedy and it wanted to be fed, which could blame it. It certainly liked the way Christian pressed his hardening dick against me.

„Fuck." Christian mumbled against my lips, biting my bottom lip. His right hand reached down to the strap of my tank top, his finger twirled it around as he looked at it with an angry stare. His cheeks were flushed just like mine, his breath out of control just like mine.

„You can't walk around in this if you don't want me to fuck you against this car." Christian groaned, all manners forgotten, I couldn't care less.

„Oh God." I breathed out, watching his finger draw small circles on the swell of my breast, before he suddenly grasped my chin tightly, kissing me forcefully and quickly.

„Was that rude?" He asked afterward, his hand still on my chin, making it impossible to look away shyly. I looked at him with an O shaped mouth, his sudden aggressive attitude surprising me and turning me on at the same time. Holz fuck.

„Answer me." He asked again, his gray eyes dark and intense. I shook my head furiously.

„Even if it is, it's your tank top's fault. I would really like to rip it off now." He whispered, his hand roaming over my breast, not fully grasping it as if he knew that I was aching for it.

 _Why don't you just kill me? I'm going to die anyway with all the arousal running through my body._

„Christian." I moaned softly, biting my lip.

„You would like that, wouldn't you?" He asked with a cocky grin, his dominance gone. „Tell me, have you thought about it, Ana? Have you thought about me taking your clothes off?"

I didn't know how I had managed to keep my hands still at my side until now, but somehow I had. His cocky smile made me remember that I could best him with his own weapons. I put my hands on his jumpsuit's straps, twirling them around my fingers while giving him my best coy, seductive look underneath my lashes. I bit my lip, rolling my lip between my teeth before leaning toward his ear, taking his earlobe between my lips and sucking gently. Just on cue, he grasped my breast tightly, his fingertip brushing over the spot where my nipple was hardening underneath. Thanks to my bra, it was safe from his touch.

„I think about it, a lot. I think about it while in lying in my bed, naked, ready, horny." I whispered with the last willpower I had.

„Fuck, Ana. You are killing me." He groaned loudly; his hips bucking against me, my eyes rolling inward when I felt his hard cock. Instinctively, I reached down to put my hand on his crotch, I didn't know where my sudden moment of being brave came from, but the result was pleasing. Oh God. I could have sworn that he just twitched underneath my touch. Just when I was getting high on the excitement I felt, Christian pushed my hand away after he moaned and cursed. His lips were on mine again, his teeth biting my bottom lip, his hands on my butt.

„Have dinner with me tonight." He said after our breathless kiss. „Ellie is at her mum. I'm cooking you something."

„I thought you didn't cook?" I whispered, trying not to concentrate on the feeling of his hands on my ass.

Christian grinned down at me, licking his lips.

„It's an excuse to get you to my place where you can tell me more about lying in bed naked, ready and horny."

 _Oh God._

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to 2017, hopefully it will go easy on our asses ;)**

 **Happy New Year, Daddy C fans. He wishes you all a happy, lucky, romantic, successful, healthy and funny year with lots of love and happiness surrounding you. But he apologises for all the teasing he has to doffer because of me, he says he can't wait to #freethekitty or #dothefrickfracknow but since littlebadhero is a big tease, he can't.**

 **Sorry. Not sorry. But a little sorry. (No)**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hope you all had nice holidays :)** **Sorry for the delay, real life kept me busy and from now on I will be even busier thanks to exams (cries cries cries some more).** **NOT BETAED!**

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 **1** **5\. From fridges and exes**

 **Kate met a new boy. We are going to hang out at a bar. You in? – A**

Andrea's text came just when I put on my shoes at my door. I took my phone out of my purse, smiling at her words before I typed a quick answer.

 **Can't. Hanging out with Christian. Say hi to the gang. – Ana**

I knew her well enough to know that my excuse would please her and the rest of my friends. They were all very Team Daddy C – as they called him -, especially after they had met him officially. Christian had been nice enough to meet us at a Mexican restaurant, in between our second and third date, and to say that Andrea, Kate and Leila were his big fans was an underestimation. They had made sure to announce their appreciation for him as soon as he had dropped us at my place where they had stayed over, our conversation about him lasting until the early morning hours before I had put an end to it as Andrea started to show me, what she called, her head trick with the help of a banana. My friends couldn't understand my hesitation about sex, they declared that waiting must be immensely hard with a man like Christian, they certainly hadn't the same patience as me.

„Fuck him, Ana. Make sure that it's life changingly good. You deserve it." Leila had said in her drunken state, her words making me blush. I wasn't exactly a prude, but I was shy and I was hesitant because of our special situation, him being the father of one of my students made everything more complicated. I had decided to give it time, no rushing, just two people getting to know each other before things got heated, fearing that sex would take the time away from us we needed to talk.

But that was a week ago.

Now, I was ready.

And I was nervous.

The frilly, lacy bra digged into my skin as if it wanted to remind me what purpose it had. It was the bra of a fancy set, I had bought last year out of frustration. It had been too long since I had seen any action in the bedroom, so I had wanted to buy something that would remind me of my femininity – in the end, it had ended up in the furthest corner of my wardrobe, because I saw no reason to wear it in my daily life. Now, I had a reason and that reason was waiting for me at his place with whatever he had cooked for me.

The cab I had called was waiting for me downstairs, since Wanda was still at the shop and I had declined his offer to pick me up. Jason and Christian had stated that Wande's issues were too difficult to solve within a day and that their boss, a guy called Jack, would have a look before they could do anything proper. It seemed like I was forced to take public transport for a while, I had no problem with it.

„Where to, Miss?" The cabbie asked me with a bored look via the dusty rear-view-mirror. Grasping the bouquet in my hands tightly, I told him Christian's address before we drove off. Since I hated going empty handed and I had zero knowledge about wine, I had decided to buy Christian something socially acceptable for a first time home visit: flowers and chocolate. A devilishly sweet pack of pralines was safely put into my purse, its brown leather fitting the rest of my outfit. Since Christian had very much liked my tank top from this afternoon, I hadn't changed it to something else, but the jeans had been replaced by a flirty, short skirt. My Cardigan was providing a little modesty, since my long legs were bare starting from my tighs, only my flats covering my freshly painted toes – I had chosen a red color for my toes, similar to the color of my skirt. I was sure that Christian was going to be thrilled about what I was wearing.

The drive to his place only took a little over ten minutes, the cab stoppped in front of a two story, brick house with a dark roof and white doors and windows. A stoned pathway with bushes left and right lead to the entrance, golden windbells hanging from the ceiling covering the wooden door. I couldn't take my eyes away from the small details like the apple tree standing a few feet away from me on the green meadow or the small kids playground with colorful swings and a mini sandpit, I could imagine Ellie playing at. It didn't look like anything I had expected, to be honest. It looked… like a home with a perfect family consisting of a hot looking father with an odd copper hair color, a blonde haired goddess mum and a cute, blonde pigtailed girl. I frowned at my thought as the cab drove away, suddenly the bouquet in my hand felt like it weighed a million tons.

 _Don't let his ex ruin your night, Ana. Christian hasn't given you a reason to doubt anything. Just because his house looks like a perfect place for a perfect family, it doesn't mean that everything was perfect in their marriage. She wouldn't have cheated otherwise, right?_

Suddenly, Christian opened the door and was standing on the front porch with a grin on his face. I nearly dropped the flowers I was holding when he suddenly called out.

„Ana? Why are you waiting there?" He said as he made his way toward me, the door behind his back widely open. His voice made me move toward him, my internal crisis interrupted.

„I was just taking in the view. It's a pretty house." I answered as he leaned down to kiss my lips quickly. He smelled of soap and cologne, his hair was wet and its tone darker, it was obvious that he had just showered.

„Prettier now that you are here. What's this?" He said, nodding down toward the wild and colorful bouquet of flowers I was holding.

„Oh. These are for you. I guessed that a gift is expected since I'm here for the first time." I answered with a blush, holding the flowers out to him. Christian laughed, shaking his head as he accepted them.

„That's really thoughtful of you. And I hope this is the first of many visits." He took a deep breath with the flowers close to his face, smiling blissfully as he took in their smell.

„Hmm. They smell good, but you smell better." Christian whispered as he leaned down toward my neck, his lips brushing over my flushed skin. It tickled me, making me squirm. His lips roamed over my throat where my pulse beat underneath towards my ear, before he nibbled my earlobe. My legs trembled, I put my hands on his arms to prevent myself from falling down. Hot waves of desire hit me, my senses bewitched, my mind full of crazy fantasies about sex – he could totally take me on the swings, I wouldn't mind at all – and my nostrils filled with the smell of flowers.

„Christian. The neighbors." I moaned softly, biting my lip as I looked around nervously. Around us there were similar houses, it looked like a kids friendly area. The last thing I wanted was the neighbors to talk about the hussie who made out with good looking Mr. Grey. I heard him sigh at my ear, before he let go off my ear, now taking my hand in his.

„Let's head inside then. There are no neighbors who could interrupt us." He said with a wink, before leading me toward the front porch, oblivious to my wide grin. I was all for no interruptions. Hopefully, we wouldn't have any interruptions tonight. I would hate to wear my fancy bra without it fulfilling its task.

„Since I have absolutely no skills, I'm afraid we will have to stick to Mac'n'Cheese." He said with a shrug as we closed the door behind us, a long hallway with shelves full of little boots and other knickknacks laid in front of us, Ellie's soul present in every little detail. Her pink coat hang on a wall to my right with mittens and hats of various colors, a box full of balls and little shovels stood on the floor, her toys spilling out.

„Mac'n'Cheese is fine." I answered, the food actually only an excuse for my visit. I was sure that he thought the same, and if he had been a good cook, then I would have been able to accuse him of moving things fast forward based on his meal of choice.

„You can keep your shoes on." Christian said as I made a move to take my flats off, the soft looking carpet laid in front of us making me think that he might want me to take my shoes off. Christian suggested to show me around before we went to the kitchen. On the first floor, the house consisted of a large living room, a guest restroom, the kitchen with a separate dining area where a chimney stood at the corner and a small library slash office underneath the spiral stairs leading upstairs.

The second floor had a big restroom with a round tub in the middle of the room, Ellie's room was right next to it, I tried not to squeal when I saw her princess like room – I had always wanted one of these as a kid -, and in the far left was Christian's bedroom. I noticed that he only let me have a quick look, before he rushed to go downstairs. In the kitchen, he made me have a seat at the kitchen island as he prepared our food.

„Oh. I totally forgot." He suddenly said, smiling at something before he took a mason jar out of a cupboard, just when I was telling him about an upcoming events at the kindergarten - Leila loved to plan that kind of stuff. The jar was decorated with small and big golden stars, the words sparkle like a star printed on it.

„Ellie said that this belongs to you." Christian said as he handed it me. I looked at him with a frown on my face.

„To me?" I asked as he looked for something in a drawer, from where he picked up a pink straw for me.

„Do you want to drink some red wine? Or something else? I have some juice, if you want any." He asked me. „And yes, it belongs to you. She bought it for you and when I said you were coming over for dinner, she made me promise that I would give you your mason jar."

„Oh." I let out, biting my lip as the thought of Ellie knowing about my date with her father took place in my head. I didn't know what to think about it.

„Everything alright, Ana?" Christian asked me with a worried expression, standing beside his fridge which's surface was full of post-it notes and Polaroids. A few of Ellie's master pieces were hanging on it, too.

„I just thought… Ellie knows that we are dating?" I asked, whispering the last word as if it was a dirty secret.

„I didn't specifically tell her so, but when I talked to her this morning, I mentioned that we were having dinner together." He answered with a shrug, picking out a bottle of red wine and orange juice before he filled his wine glass with red wine. I asked for the orange juice and opened the lid of my new present, wanting to drink out of it. It was cute after all. I took a large sip of my juice with my straw, feeling his stare on my face. His eyes were darkened as he watched me drink, my lips closed around the straw. There was something devilishly seductive about the simply task of sucking on straw, apparently. It also felt taboo since it was the gift of a little girl.

„Is that a problem for you?" Christian asked, shaking his head as he looked away from me. He turned on the stove to boil some macaronis for our dinner.

„No. Not at all." I said, not convincing enough for Christian, though. I fidgeted with my straw, trying to escape his gray eyes.

„Do you want to keep us a secret? I thought, we were free to go since you talked to your boss." Christian mumbled with a worried expression.

„Of course, I don't wanna keep secrets. Secrets are yuck, I don't like them." I whispered, secrets had been the reason why my past relationships had failed. „I just don't want her to feel… I don't know, confused, I guess. I mean, she would have to understand that I'm still her teacher even though I'm constantly hanging out with her father."

The last thing I needed was that Ellie mistook my relationship with her father with our teacher and student relationship.

Christian shook his head with a smile, reaching for my hands. He kissed them gently before he talked.

„Ana, I know my daughter. I know what would confuse her, and I know that she was more than thrilled that you are here tonight. She asked me if you could have dinner with us again when she is back. Ellie is far more understanding than you think, trust me. But I understand your hesitations, you care about her and that makes a good teacher out of you."

„It really has nothing to do with me being embarrassed about you, about us, I mean. I just don't want her to get hurt because of us." I looked down at our hands, my feminine, small ones in his strong, big ones. It felt good to hold his hands.

„I assure you that's the last thing I want. I wouldn't have asked you out if I had any doubts. Ellie means the world to me, and you can't imagine how happy it makes me that you care about her. And when the time comes, which is up to your decision, she will be more than thrilled when she finds out about us. She likes you so much." Christian said softly before he walked over to my side, grasping my cheeks with his hands, his eyes glistening with something I couldn't name.

„We are not doing anything wrong, Ana. I think I have never done something that felt more right, to be honest." He confessed before he leaned down to kiss me softly, his kiss wasn't heated or rushing, it was just him telling me all the things I needed to hear. It made my heart flutter, my skin prickle and my senses explode like a wild round of fireworks. Desire flooded my body, bundling between my legs. Christian let go off my face and let his hands roam over my body, starting from my shoulders to the side of my breasts, then to my waist and hips, before he finally put them on my thighs, skin against skin underneath my skirt. I gasped when I felt his touch, he used the opportunity to push his tongue in my mouth, the kiss no longer just sweet.

There was it.

The tension, the heat and the anticipation.

All the things I found so overwhelming and all the things I wanted to savor with him.

„Mm." He let out against my hips as his fingers drew small circles on my skin. He didn't seem to get enough of me, I noticed when he gently parted my legs to make room for himself between them. Immediately, I put my arms around his neck, grasping the curls at his neck, his hair felt immensely soft between my greedy fingers. While lips sucked, teeth bit and tongues danced, I felt too far away from him, so I pulled him closer to me by crossing my legs at his hips.

„Fuck." He let out, pushing me against the kitchen island behind me, the counter digging into my back. It hurt a little but I couldn't care less. One of his hands made its way to my tank top, wiggling its way underneath the fabric. As soon as his fingers brushed over my stomach, I shivered and threw my head back as Christian's lips wandered to my throat. When he gently bit my skin, it was my turn to curse.

„Holy fuck." I groaned, my hips buckling against him, his election pressing against my inner tighs, not close enough. Christian didn't miss my frustration, he tried to spread my legs further so he could press his erected dick against me, my skirt had risen up, if he looked down he would see my fancy slip. His movements got more frustrated with each passing second, his lips tortured me as they kissed the swell of my breasts over and over again, kissing, sucking and licking, his fingers digged into my skin, his crotch hitting my leg, but it was never enough.

Suddenly, I shrieked when he grasped me by my hips and carried me away. I hold onto his shoulders tighter since I feared that I was going to fall down, thinking that he was walking upstairs to his bedroom – hell, I was hoping for it -, but he just walked a few steps before he pressed me against the cold surface of his fridge – well, the clutter free side of it. Now that he had easier access, he made use of it, his jeans clothed dick was driving me mad whenever he hit that one spot between my legs.

I saw stars, seriously, I saw them, I felt like I was getting a Christian Grey special tour of the galaxy.

Our lips touched again, he showed no mercy, he took what he wanted and I gladly gave him all.

Too bad that it only lasted until we heard the stove sizzling as the boiled water of our pasta flooded, making Christian curse at my lips. He quickly let go off me, I landed on my feet with shaky breaths as he turned off the stove and pushed the boiling pot away from it. It looked like macaronis were the last thing on his mind now, he quickly turned to me, taking my hand and fiercely leading me away from the kitchen.

It didn't look like we were going to eat any food any time soon. But from the looks of it, he was going to eat me.

Holy fuck.

The realisation that I was going to have sex with Christian Grey – finally! – made the way to his bedroom longer than it actually was. I was buzzing with excitement with each step, I had anticipated this very moment for a really long time and now that I was finally here, I couldn't stop feeling nervous.

„You sure about this?" Christian asked me before he opened the door to his bedroom. I nodded, my throat felt too dry to speak. He stepped in first before he turned around to pull me inside by grasping my waist gently. I didn't bother to look around, I just concentrated on his pretty face as he lead us to his bed where he sat down and pulled me to his lap, my legs left and right of his body.

„You are so beautiful." He whispered at my lips as we kissed and kissed and kissed some more.

„You too." I said with a blush, feeling him smile against my cheek which he kissed softly. I bit my lip as I enjoyed his touch, my fingers playing with his soft curls. I loved his hair. My shoes slipped from my feet and landed on the floor with a tud.

„You don't know how much I have ached for this." Christian whispered, making me giggle nervously.

„I think I do."

„I don't think you do." He joked as he turned us around so that I was laying on the bed with my feet dangling from the edge. I grinned up at him as he helped me out of my Cardigan, before he played with the straps of my tank top. I was giving him total control, knowing too well that he wouldn't let me take over, being the overly attentive guy that the was. He always wanted to make sure that I came first, just like when we ate something or when we were choosing a radio station. Besides, I was too nervous to play cool.

„Are we really going to discuss who was aching more for this now?" He asked, kneeling over me with his legs left and right from my hips, leaning down to place his hands beside my head.

„I didn't start the discussion. You did." I answered cockily, raising my chin. Christian's lips curled before he answered.

„Then I'm also ending it. We have far more interesting stuff to do."

„Mm." I let out blissfully and closed my eyes as he kissed me softly, his hand already tugging at my tank top.

„Get up a little, baby." He whispered before we managed to take off my top, my bra followed shortly after he took a look of it. His groan made me feel more confident in my skin when my boobs were naked in front of him. Instinctively, I crossed my arms underneath them, making them go up. Christian's eyes darkened as he watched my movements.

„Skid to the middle of the bed." He growled, taking his shirt off in one movement as I did what he asked for. He followed me shortly after, his toned muscles right in front of my face. Holy fuck. His tone and his muscles on his body made my kitty roar loudly – that damned beast was throwing a party, it was finally getting what it wanted since day one.

„I like your domineering tone, Mr. Grey." I chuckled as I pushed my boobs together, my nipples hardened already. He had a great view of me as he was kneeling in front of me, his legs on both of my sides and his crotch near my face.

„Really? Do you have a kinky side, Miss Steele?" He asked me without looking into my eyes, his stare not leaving my boobs as I rolled my nipples between my fingers – a calculating move. His hands were all over me, kneading them, tugging at my nipples, making me moan softly.

„I wouldn't call it kinky. I would call it curious." I whispered, throwing my head back as I enjoyed his touch. My hands roamed over his jeans clothed tighs, his muscles flexing underneath my touch the closer I got to his zipper.

„I like you curious, baby." He breathed out nervously when I unbuckled his belt slowly, taking my sweet time to torture him. Christian let go off my breasts and threw his head back, only enjoying my touch. It was my turn to grin smugly. Slowly, I pulled his zipper down, cupping him from above his jeans, but the real deal was hidden underneath his jeans.

I had earned the real deal by showing a great deal of patience in the past weeks.

Just when I was putting my hand inside his pants, his phone on his nightstand ringed loudly, surprising me.

„Ignore it. Please, fucking ignore it." He groaned as I hesitated, my face turned to his ringing phone. I shrugged and decided to ignore it, he didn't seem to care, so why should I. My fingers finally touched his scarily long and hard dick, he groaned again as I grazed his sensitive head. I decided to take a look, taking his dick out of his pants. He helped me by pulling his pants down, enough for me to have a perfect view.

 _That's a fine view._ _Dear God._

He wasn't gigantic like an exaggerated porn star, but he was big enough to make me worry if I could ever deep throat him. I wasn't exactly good at that, and his size certainly wouldn't make things easier, but that was something I could worry about later.

„Fuck, Ana." Christian let out as I started to move my hand up and down on his silky skin, adding enough pressure to make his eyes roll inwards. I felt more and more confident with each passing second, I was high on this feeling and I was high on him.

I was just leaning down to put my lips around him when his phone started ringing again. I hesitated again, looking up questioningly at Christian, who was throwing daggers with his eyes at his ringing phone.

„Dammit." He cursed with an angry tone. „I think I have to get it. Otherwise it won't shut up."

„Oh. It's okay. I can wait." I said with a blush and let go off his dick. With lanky movements, he went to pick up his phone, answering it without looking at its screen.

„Grey." He roared loudly, the way he looked right now making me giggle. His pants were hanging low, his dick was hard and out, and his brows were furrowed. I probably didn't look better with my flushed skin, my naked tits and my messy hair.

„Elena, I'm busy right now. I'll call you later." Christian's jaw flexed as he spoke angrily.

Suddenly my euphoria went out like a pathetic little flame under a heavy monsoon.

Elena was the name of his ex, aka the last person I wanted to hear about when I was just going to suck his dick.

„What?" Christian called out suddenly, a worried expression spreading on his face.

„Calm down and talk to me, Elena. Where are you? What has happened to Ellie?"

 _What the hell._

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to MrsCaron because she is bae ;)**

 **Holy fuck.**

 **Holy cliffs.**

 **Holy nearly blowjob :D**

 **Until next time**

 **Meliii who needs to study (cries in spanish)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Boo.**

 **Thanks for the love and reviews :-***

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **16\. From hospitals and threats**

"Which hospital are you at? Is she alright? Dammit, Elena." Christian cursed as he threw my bra and tank top at me. I quickly put them on, watching him with a worried expression. He squeezed his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he put his dick back into his boxers and jeans, quickly zipping himself up. I crawled to the edge of the bed where I reached down to find my shoes, biting my lip shyly afterward.

Christian listened to his ex wife's words with furrowed brows and flushed cheeks. Our eyes crossed and he gestured toward my neglected Cardigan with a pointed finger, telling me to put it on. I quickly followed his order.

"I'm on my way. Call my parents." He hung up without another word, ruffing his hair with a silent curse on his lips.

"Is Ellie alright? What's happening, Christian?" I asked worried.

"Ellie had a little accident, well, Elena calls it a little accident, but I don't see what so little about falling from a slide. She is getting her to the hospital now. I'm afraid I have to go. I'm sorry that our night had to end this way, Ana." He apologized, making my heart flutter. It was cute how he still thought about my feelings even though his daughter was injured.

"Nonsense. Ellie needs you right now." I brushed it off, looking around for my purse. It probably was downstairs.

"You can come with me. I don't know what to expect, but it would be a huge help to have you around, Ana." He looked at me with a frustrated expression. It was obvious that he was worried about his daughter, worried enough to want me as moral support.

"Of course. I mean, yes."

The drive to the hospital takes a little over twenty-five minutes, it would have taken less if the streets hadn't been crowded. Shutting the his truck's door a little too forcefully, Christian made his way to the ER with big steps when we arrived. It was nearly impossible to follow him, but I managed, knowing well that he was too nervous and worried to walk slowly. We found his mum and dad sitting on plastic chairs in a tiled, clean hall which was buzzing with the typical excitement of an ER.

"Where is she?" Christian asked them, hugging his mum when she stood up to greet him.

"They are taking an x-ray of her ankle. It seems like she sprained it." His dad, a tall man with gray hair and stern eyes, told him with a frown.

"My friend, Janice, is the chief physician. She was nice enough to free us from waiting. Elena is with Ellie, dear." Mrs. Grey said, nodding toward a double door over which a square sign hang with the word _x-ray_ written on it.

"What has happened exactly? Elena said Ellie fell from the slide." Christian asked them with furrowed brows, obviously blaming his ex. The thought that she was just a few rooms away from us crossed my mind, I suddenly felt like somebody squeezed my lungs.

 _Dammit, Ana. Now is not the time to be an insecure maid._

"Well, apparently, they were playing at the park when Ellie fell. She didn't hit her head, thank God, but she landed wrongly on her feet. Those slides aren't too high, at least. Elena said that it happened so fast that she had no control over the situation." His mum explained to him with a soft tone, her mouth pouted. Christian huffed out loud, ruffing his hair in frustration.

"Elena always has control over the situation, unless, of course, she had something more important to do than keeping an eye on her daughter. Did she leave her alone? Mum?" Christian hissed when his mum looked away with a guilty expression.

"Dear, it was just a second and an important phone call." Mrs. Grey mumbled with pity audible in her voice.

"An important phone call? Her damned phone call is the reason why my daughter has sprained her ankle, Mum." Christian growled angrily, earning a stern look from his father.

"Christian. Your tone." He warned his son, his cold gray eyes looking at me. I felt immensely small underneath his stare.

"Oh. Miss Steele." Christian's mum sounded surprised when she finally noticed me. She gave me a warm smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Grey." I greeted her, before nodding at her husband. "Mr. Grey."

He nodded back coolly. It was very clear that Christian got his friendliness from his mother and his looks from his father.

"That's a nice… surprise." She said politely, looking from me to her son. Her face gave away that she finally made out what this was about.

"I hope Ellie will get well soon." I mumbled shyly. They thanked me and Christian's dad offered me his seat which I declined gratefully. We waited a couple of minutes before the plastic doubles doors swept open and Ellie was brought in sitting on a wheelchair with her mum rolling it. Tears streamed down her petite face, her lips pouting.

"Ellie! Are you all right?" Christian was all over her, kneeling down in front of her so they were face to face. I watched them interact from where I was standing, his caring nature always nice to watch.

"Daddy, my foot hurts." Ellie whined as he swept away her tears with his fingers tips. She pointed to her left foot, her little ankle swollen.

"It's gonna be alright, baby. Daddy is here." He whispered, making me blush with his sweetness.

"I want to go home, daddy. Please take me home." Ellie hiccuped once. Christian leaned forward to kiss her forehead gently.

"We need to see the doctor first, sweetie. But I promise after that we will go home and I will give you chocolate milk, okay?"

Suddenly, my eyes crossed with a pair of powerful green eyes, the spark inside them nearly knocking me down. Curiously, the blonde woman watched me, her mesmerizing eyes scanning me from head to toe. She eventually arched an eyebrow when she took a look of my short skirt. Finally, her eyes landed on my face again, her lips were pursed as she looked at me intensely.

If I had thought that Christian's father's stares were frightening before, I was proven wrong. Next to her, he was like a cute puppy.

The thought that Christian had once shared a bed with her while I had only touched his dick once, felt like a gunshot to my self-esteem. How the hell was I supposed to compete with her looks and probably her sexpertise?

 _You can't really know if she is good in bed, Ana._

 _She doesn't have to be good. Hell, the way she looks is enough._

Great. Now I was having a full conversation in my own head with myself. Reaching new lows was my specialty and usually, I dealt with it pretty fine, but why it had to happen right in front Ellie's too perfect looking mother was beyond me. Seemed like the universe was testing my limits and my patience.

"Miss Steele is here, too?" Ellie's excited voice interrupted my internal monologue. Her gray eyes were widen when she looked at me, a small smile spread on her pretty face. Her usually neat hair was a strawberry blonde mess tonight, her pigtails lose.

"Are you ill, too?" She asked me, sniffing her nose once. Immediately, Mrs. Grey looked for a handkerchief in her purse, handing it over to her granddaughter. While she gently blew her nose, I felt everybody's eyes on me – including Christian's – as they waited for my answer. I felt like I was in this cliché dream, where you were standing on a stage with thousands of people waiting for you to talk, but then suddenly they started laughing and you wondered why, then you looked down and saw that you were completely naked.

God. I was so dramatic.

But seriously, how was I going to tell her that I had been on a date with her father at her house and that I had been face to face with his dick not even an hour ago when her mother called and interrupted us? I didn't want to think about the damage that could create. That girl already had a sprained ankle, no need to fuck her brain up, too. Her father and I had just talked about her reaction about me dating him and he had convinced me that she was more mature than I thought, but that didn't mean that she needed to find out now and here.

Lying seemed like the best option.

"Um.. I'm fine, Ellie. I heard that you were in pain and I rushed to see you." I stuttered, cringing internally. My cheeks felt like they were on fire when I saw how Elena rolled her eyes, but thank God, her daughter was convinced enough to be happy about my presence.

"Thank you, Miss Steele. I'm happy to see you. Look at my ankle. It has grown." She pouted as she pointed at her injured foot, babbling about the nurse who had took an x-ray of it, the doctor who had promised to give her a lollipop if she waited patiently for him, and about her accident. I noted with raised eyebrows how quick she had forgotten about her pain, her interest in talking to me apparently larger than her pain. I was glad that I could distract her, though.

"And Danny, my friend, laughed at me when I felt. His mum was so angry." She went on, not giving me a chance to talk. All eyes were on us as I made my way shyly toward her, leaning down in front of her where Christian had been standing before. He was now talking to his ex wife in a hushed tone a few steps away from us, his mouth a displeased, thin line. Even though I was looking at Ellie as interested as possible, I tried to get a look of them from the corner of my eye, my ears pointed.

"Was it that hard to keep your eyes on your own daughter? Can't you ignore one phone call?" Christian hissed at his ex, grasping her arm tightly. She shrugged his hand off, sighing annoyed with him.

"It was just a second, for God's sake. It could have happened even if I hadn't been talking on the phone." She answered calmly, brushing over the fancy fabric of her blazer. It was amazing how she didn't let his anger fool her. Not only she looked like a top model, she also seemed to be self-control on legs. Great.

"It also couldn't have happened. When are you going to think your priorities through, Elena?" Christian asked through clenched teeth. There was something foolishly sexy about his angry side, but that was an issue for another time.

"Don't you ever question my priorities, Christian." Elena said with pursed lips. Ellie's eyes wandered to her parents when her mum's voice got a little louder, I saw how her gray eyes were full of sadness. Obviously, those heated arguments weren't anything new to her. Seeing Ellie sad made me furious and that her own parents were causing it, angered me even more. I sighed loudly, interrupting Ellie's talk about her nice nurse as I stood up to face Christian's parents who were sitting at their chairs with confused expressions as they looked back and forth between Elena and Christian. It was obvious that they were overwhelmed with the situation, Mr. Grey even looked a little embarrassed when our eyes crossed.

"Mrs. Grey? Mr. Grey?" I addressed them politely, rolling Ellie's wheelchair closer to them. "Maybe we should go and have some coffee at the cafeteria until Ellie's doctor calls her in."

It was a bold move, I was basically interfering in their business, but I wanted to get Ellie away from her fighting parents. That was my duty as a teacher, I was responsible of her well being. And to be honest, I wasn't entirely into watching my boyfriend having a fight with his stunning ex. Fighting meant passion and passion meant sex, and I already had problems with forbidding myself to think about them having sex.

Surprisingly, I got a thankful nod from the stern looking Mr. Grey. He seemed to like my idea very much.

"I will tell the nurse that we are at the cafeteria." He said as he got up to walk over to the nurse's station.

"Thanks, dear." Mrs. Grey smiled at me before she leaned down to kiss her granddaughter's cheek. "Ellie deserves some hot chocolate today."

"With whipped cream?" The little girl asked excitedly, her cheeks flushed. Her grandmother nodded at her with a grin, before turning toward her son who was still fighting with his ex.

"Christian? Elena? We are going to have some coffee." Mrs. Grey announced, making them turn their heads toward us. While Christian looked at his kid immediately, Elena looked at me, squeezing her eyes tightly as she saw that I was holding her daughter's chair.

"The doctor will call her in any minute." She simply said. "I think it's better if we wait."

"It's okay, dear. Carrick is telling the nurse where we are. Besides, I know best how busy an ER can get, so it will probably take a little longer than you expect."

I never had thought about Elena's interactions with Christian's parents before. Now I wondered if they were angry at her for breaking their son's heart, if they hated her even, but Mrs. Grey's tone was nice and friendly as always. If she felt hate for the blonde goddess like woman in front of her, she didn't show it. I didn't know how I would react if somebody cheated on my child.

"I don't want to miss the doctor, the ER is packed enough. Let's get this done with, so we can go home." Elena said coolly, her hand reaching for her cell phone in her pocket. Christian flipped when she took it out, his sudden outburst scaring poor Ellie.

"What is more important than your own daughter? Can't you forget about your fucking work for one night?" He roared, making the nurses at the station look up. Oh dear. I was caught right in between a family drama, the last place I wanted to be. We had just started dating, I shouldn't have to be a witness of this already. Maybe I shouldn't have come to the hospital, but Christian had asked me to accompany him.

"Son, maybe you two should discuss your problems somewhere else." Mrs. Grey said in a stern tone, her sweet nature gone.

"Let's go, Miss Steele." She added, looking at me. We left the fighting ex couple behind us and went to the elevators where Mr. Grey was waiting for us with a worried expression. He took over the duty of rolling Ellie's wheelchair as we entered the elevator where he pushed the button of the cafeteria's floor.

"The nurses said that we didn't need to rush since there is a long line of patients waiting." He explained to us. I didn't know what to say, still shocked from Christian's loud outburst, while Mrs. Grey nodded.

"Grandpa, can I have cinnamon on my hot chocolate?" Ellie asked, looking up with her big, gray eyes. He smiled warmly at her.

"Of course, sweetie. How is your foot?" He asked, caressing her strawberry blonde waves. She pouted and whined as she spoke.

"It still hurts."

I was in awe with how she dealt with it, though. She kept her calm, which was something very rare for a kid her age. I had seen kids have a crying fit because a bug landed on their cheek, claiming that it hurt, but here she was with a sprained ankle and no hysterical crying. Ellie was stronger than I had thought, Christian was right.

Suddenly, I realized that I hadn't talked to him since we left his house. We had driven in silence and when we had arrived, he had been – understandably – all over his daughter and then later – not so understandably – over his ex wife. I shouldn't take it personal, though, this wasn't just any situation. Ellie was injured after all.

"I'm sorry that you had to be a witness of all of this, dear." Mrs. Grey said to me when we were seated around an old, wooden table. Mr. Grey and Ellie were sitting near the window from where they had a great view of the lake near by. Ellie was excitedly pointing at the swans swimming on the water, her grandfather helped her count them.

"It's not a problem, Mrs. Grey." I answered shyly before I took a sip of my coffee. She sighed, shaking her head.

"No need to call me that, dear. Call me Grace. It's just that my son has a temper when it comes to Ellie. And Elena seems to be testing his patience especially."

"He cares about his daughter. He is a great father." My cheeks flushed as I complimented him, as if he could see me right now. He still was having a chat with his ex wife.

"He is still human, though. That's why he sees red whenever he and Elena have another conflict of opinion. He is a man of emotions, after all. Just like his father." At her last words, she smiled proudly, a loving look spreading on her face.

"I just wish they would stop fighting around Ellie. The girl has already heard so much and I don't want her to get the feeling that her mother doesn't love her, because in her own way, Elena does love her daughter. Christian often times forgets that Elena isn't just his ex wife, she is Ellie's mother." Grace said with a pout, her fingers tracing the lid of her cup of coffee. Wow. I was getting so many information today, information from which I knew that Christian wouldn't have shared them with me any time soon. It felt like I was snooping around, but I couldn't resists and I hardly could ask her to stop talking.

"Ellie is a nice kid. She deserves the best." I nodded as I said my words. She smiled warmly at me.

"Yes, she does. So does my son. I was surprised to see you together, to be honest."

"Oh." I let out with widened eyes.

"In a good way, though. It's been quite some time since I saw a woman at Christian's side. It made me happy."

"Thanks, Grace." I mumbled shyly, just when I heard footsteps making their way toward us. I looked up and saw that Christian and Elena were heading our way, their expressions stern and cold. Their fight must have been ugly, I was thankful that I didn't have to be a witness of it.

"Do you want something to drink?" Christian grunted at his ex while she took a seat next to his mum. It was amazing how he still was a gentleman. She asked for a cup of coffee, sugarless and black.

 _Probably just like her soul._

 _You don't know her, Ana. Stop judging a book by its cover. She could be a real sweetheart._

I was wrong.

As soon as she opened her mouth, she proved that she was anything but a sweetheart.

"So, Miss Steele, isn't it? My daughter has been talking about you non stop. I had been curious to meet you, to be honest. Who knew that we would meet here? I had thought you worked at a kindergarten, but apparently, you are a nurse, too." She smiled sweetly at me, her eyes glistening with arrogance.

What a bitch.

As I looked at her perplexed, she started grinning smugly.

"It's a good thing that you were with Christian tonight, right? This way you got to see Ellie outside of school. I'm a workaholic, too, so I don't blame you." She went on, taking me by surprise with her very open attack on me. I hadn't expected that, at least not in front of Christian's mother who looked as shocked as me.

"Elena." She said with a warning tone. "What Miss Steele is doing with my son is none of your concern."

"I was just making small talk, Grace. I want to get to know the woman, my daughter couldn't stop talking about. There is nothing wrong with that, right?" Elena went on, acting very childish. I wondered how she was a professional business woman with an attitude like this.

"Excuse me." I said quietly as I stood up, not wanting to talk to her anymore. I shouldn't have to deal with her. Christian and I were just getting to know each other, his ex wife was the last person I wanted to talk to.

"Hey." I said when I walked up to Christian who was waiting in the line to get him and his ex a cup of coffee each.

"Hey. I'm sorry for the mess. I wish you didn't have to see that." He apologized immediately, throwing an arm over my shoulders as we waited. I took a deep breath and leaned in against his side, feeling an intense pair of green eyes staring at us. I decided to ignore her, while I wondered if I should tell him about her weird behavior. He had enough problems for today, I thought.

"It's okay. I'm here for you and Ellie." I said, thinking that not talking about her would make her vanish out of my mind, but she didn't leave. Instead, she rented a room in the middle of my brain from where she terrorized me.

"I also wish our night hadn't ended like this." He whispered roughly, making me blush. Memories of his dick being right in front of my face flooded my mind, my heart fluttering excitedly.

"Yes, it definitively could have ended differently." I whispered back. He chuckled lightly before he kissed the top of my head.

"Soon. Patience." He said, making me look up. That damned bastard winked at me, putting my ovaries on fire deliberately. I pinched his stomach lightly, rolling my eyes as I tried to ignore the sexual tension.

"I have lots of patience." I answered smugly.

"Well, I don't. I _really_ don't. I have enough to prevent myself from finding an empty broom closet for the both of us where I can savor you."

"Christian!" I let out, looking around if anybody had heard us.

"Don't blame me. You shouldn't have showed me your tits."

He had no shame, I soon found out. I needed to get away from him, I needed to cool down. With a silent prayer to God – I needed him to give me self-control and patience -, I told Christian that I was going to the bathroom, hoping that some water on my face would help me cool down. I made my way to the restrooms close by where I took a deep breath of air, thankful to have escaped his sexy aura. It felt good to have a few minutes for myself, but it was all over too soon when the restroom's door opened and Elena stepped in.

Oh no.

Not her.

I was standing at the sink where I was washing my face and hands, when she completely ignored me and went to the sink beside me where she freshened up her makeup. Slowly, she took her lipstick's cap off and painted her lips in a red color. Just when I thought that leaving would be a good idea now, she talked.

"Your students must be very lucky to have such an _attentive_ teacher like you." Her words were sweet, her tone not so much. It was obvious that she was implying something, and it wasn't hard to guess what exactly. I looked at her with an arched brow, drying my hands on a paper towel.

"I'm not sure I appreciate your tone, Miss Lincoln." I said as politely as I could, even though my inner diva was begging to rip out her stupid, blonde, perfect hair.

Elena's lips curled with a small smile, her pearly white teeth visible behind her red painted lips.

"You don't have to. After all, there are a lot of things happening around us and we don't have to appreciate any of it, do we?" She looked at me with played innocence as if I was a little kid who wouldn't understand her words. Oh for the love of God.

"Why don't you tell me what your problem exactly is, Muss Lincoln?" I sighed tiredly, crossing my arms at my chest as I waited for her to talk with a bored expression on my face. I had to give her the feeling as if she had no absolutely no affect on me, even though I was having an internal crisis. I had feared meeting her, thinking that her beauty would make me shrink, but her beauty was nothing against her sharp tongue.

 _Don't let her beat you, Ana. At least don't show that you are intimidated._

"What I am trying to say is that you seem to have a very special interest in my daughter as her teacher and her father's newest toy. And as a mother that leaves me concerned if this a service offered by Mrs. Williams' or if this is just you being an overly attentive person." She asked quietly, her green eyes shooting daggers at me – only metaphorical once, but I thought if she had the chance, she would shoot real once. I was confused, intensely so, because I couldn't understand her motives. Was this jealousy? Or was this just her being a mother? She didn't have to sound so hostile, though.

I decided to keep my calm, I wanted to be the bigger person here.

"No, this is not some service of my job, Miss Lincoln, if you are really curious. But I don't think it's any of your concern what I do in my personal life." I answered professionally, making her laugh. She looked like she was making fun of me which infuriated me even more.

"Oh, Miss Steele. You seem to be dating my child's father. Of course, it has to concern me. After all, I still have a saying on who Ellie gets to be around." She shook her head, smacking her lips once with an arrogant expression on her face.

"My point is that Ellie is my daughter and if I get the feeling that your little fling with her father has any effects on her, then I will make sure that you won't be able to come anywhere near her. You won't interfere in their lives and you certainly won't be around them. Ellie had to deal with enough things, the last thing she needs is her father's new play thing making mess of their lives. Do you understand me?"

Crystal clear.

She was asking me to stay away from her daughter and ex in my personal life like it was her damned business. Well, it kinda was, but I knew that Christian had full custody for her and Leila had given us her blessing, so we were not breaking any rules. Christian knew his daughter and he knew that our relationship would not affect her negatively, I trusted his judgment.

But here she was, asking me to keep my paws off of Ellie and Christian as if she knew me or my intentions, as if she had a saying with whom Christian was hanging out with. Jealousy, as irrational as it may be, flooded my body and I took a deep breath before I answered her.

"With all due respect, Miss Lincoln, you don't know me, you don't know what Christian and I have, and you certainly don't know where your boundaries lie. You are right, you can be concerned about your daughter's well being, but you can't be concerned about Christian's dating life. You got divorced, right? Why do you so much care about who he is hanging out with?" I asked with a clenched jaw. Her mouth parted slightly as she licked her lips, her head tilted to the side as she looked at me.

"Christian is a very in the moment type of guy. He always gets bored and loses interest in his toys, leaving a mess behind himself. I don't want my daughter to grow up between his messes, which you will eventually end up as. A little advice from a woman to a woman? Don't misinterpret his excitement for something else, because it doesn't last long."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to the exam gods who hopefully will make me pass ;)**

 **There she is. Elena Lincoln. She is a bitch, but is she evil? We will see :D**

 **Sad news: No updates until February because of exams, birthdays, FSD movie goers and stuff. Sorry :-***

 **Until next time**

 **Melii xoxo**

 **(I don't like this chapter at all. It isn't my best work but I felt like publishing anyway, otherwise you never would have gotten it)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Boo.**

 **Melii should be sleeping now. Melii has an exam tomorrow. Meli also said she wouldn't upload until February, but Meli wanted to give you all this as a sorry for all the teasing she has done... since the beginning of her writing career.**

 **This is a first for me, my first published, full length lemon, so be kind and gentle - unlike Daddy C ;) - and have patience with me.**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **17\. From excitement and attraction**

"That movie better be good, Leila." Andrea pouted as we waited in a long line of movie-goers to get our tickets. I counted the heads of the people standing in front of us, twelve in total, and sighed tiredly.

"Excuse me? You were the one who couldn't stop flirting with the waiter. We wouldn't have been late, if you didn't flirt with George." Leila exclaimed with crossed arms at her chest.

"It was your idea to watch this movie. So, it better be good, or I will have lost my chance to get laid for nothing." Andrea winked at me, making me roll my eyes.

It was a typical girl's night out, drinks and food at a yummy restaurant followed by an activity that wouldn't make it look like we were just out for alcohol and food. This time, thanks to Leila's persuasion, we choose to watch a movie at our local cinema.

"George looked clingy, I kinda saved your ass, so you better thank me." Leila smirked at our friend. Andrea pursed her lips as she thought about what Leila had said.

"You are probably right. But I really wanted to get laid tonight." She groaned. "It's been too long."

"I'm sure you will survive another dickless night." I joked, earning an arched eyebrow from Andrea.

"It's easy for you to talk, Ana bear. You have Daddy C and his big, hard, colossal..."

I interrupted her with a shocked shriek and a flushing face.

"Andrea!"

She grinned smugly with a shrug.

"I wanted to say 'heart', you dirty minded girl. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Yeah. Sure. You wanted to say 'heart'. Of course." I said with sarcasm dripping off my whole attitude.

"I'm sure, Elena knows his big, hard, colossal _heart_ better than I do." I added with narrowed eyes, earning a pinch to my side.

"Stop thinking about her." My friend warned me, making me snort. I couldn't stop thinking about Elena Lincoln and her threats, even if I wanted to.

"I can't believe she actually did that. I can't believe it." Leila exclaimed for the millionth time in the last hour, making the other customers look at us. I tried to calm her down, not wanting extra attention, the topic we were talking about was nerve wrecking enough.

"You better believe it, because she actually did that." I said, the memory of mean, green eyes starring into my soul as their carrier threatened me crispy and fresh in my mind.

"I mean, Elena was always a little fierce and definitely intimidating, but this is so not her." Leila went on.

"It's obvious why she did it, though. She is jealous." Andrea pointed out, crossing her arms at her chest, her boobs pushed up. It was a miracle that they didn't spill over, her v-neck t-shirt was giving us a great view of her cleavage.

"Of what exactly?" I asked nervously, biting my lip as the thought that she was jealous because she wanted Christian back made its way into my chaotic head.

"She wants her life back, I suppose. Probably regrets cheating on him." Andrea nodded to herself as she spoke, oblivious to my internal war. Holy crap. Did he want her back, too? Would he want her back eventually?

"Don't worry, Ana. She can be jealous all she wants, he won't take her back. Not after the way she humiliated him." Leila tried to calm me as I looked at the tip of my sneakers with a frown on my face. If only Christian was more of a talker, if only he would tell me more about his relationship and breakup with her, then maybe I could stop worrying about her. Unfortunately, Christian saw red whenever her name came up, he always changed the subject with a cold look on his face, often times distracting me with his magical kisses. Andrea had pointed out that maybe the breakup was too fresh, maybe he wasn't over it, that was why he didn't talk about, which wasn't helpful at all. If he wasn't over their breakup, then he probably wasn't over her, either.

Crap.

They definitely fought very passionately, that much I had seen last Saturday. After Elena's threats at me at the restrooms, she had spent the rest of the night grinning smugly, while I had looked like someone had run over my puppy. Christian had been too busy with Ellie to notice my distress, I couldn't blame him. I had wanted to go home and when Christian finally dropped me off at my place that night, I had cried myself into sleep, the recent events somehow too overwhelming for me. Maybe I was just overreacting, maybe I was being childish, but I hadn't wanted to have this kind of issues. I didn't want to deal with crazy exes, I didn't want to be responsible for a little kid that wasn't even mine – Ironic that this is coming from me, a kindergarten teacher, I know – and I certainly didn't want to fight a battle I could lose.

These had been my thoughts on Saturday night, but they had vanished when I saw Christian on Tuesday evening as I picked up Wanda from the shop. As soon as I had looked into his gray eyes, I had forgotten Elena Lincoln and her devil stares immediately. The only person that mattered was him. It had been stupid of me to let her effect me, I was practically letting her win.

"Well, it was good how you didn't back down, though. We have to plan our strategy." Andrea said firmly, looking like she was on a mission.

"What strategy?" I asked with furrowed brows. She rolled her eyes at my question.

"We have to plan our countermaneuver. Show her that we are here, show her that we don't plan to leave anytime soon, unless we want to do so." Sometimes, I really loved her fierce side, she was so optimistic.

"I don't want to fight her. I don't want to do anything with her."

I wanted her gone from my life, to be honest.

"We are right in the middle of the war, Ana. We can't back down now. I will tell you what you will do. You will show your relationship off, you will make her notice that you didn't back down." Andrea went on. I groaned annoyed.

"How? Christian doesn't even talk about her and I don't think I will see her again any time soon." I countered, moving forward a little as the line got shorter. The smell of popcorn swirled around the room, magically drawing me to the stand it was sold at. I deserved a big portion after everything I had to go through, I decided.

"She will show up, trust me. As soon as she hears that you haven't given a shit about her threats, she will show up. That's when you will tell her to go fuck herself." Leila added with an encouraging expression on her face.

Ha. Me telling Ms. Elena Lincoln aka biggest bitch on earth to go fuck herself? Sure.

"Besides what do you do with the hot daddy if you don't fuck him or talk with him?" Andrea asked with a frown, her opinion about my sexless relationship obvious. I blushed at the thought of our last, sexual encounter, my nearly blowjob would definitely have turned into more if only we hadn't been interrupted. What a shame.

"We talk, of course. Just not about his ex wife. Usually, he asks me millions of questions about me, answering mine about him, too, but his main focus is on me. He is a listener." I explained with a shrug, making Leila sigh.

"He is a keeper." She said with a dreamy look.

"Yes, he has the potential. But first, she needs to find out if he is any good in bed." Andrea added with a knowing smirk. I could only roll my eyes at her sometimes.

"What? That's an important aspect." She said after I gave her a long look. "Besides, if you guys have the special harmony in bed, then it's just more perfect for our plan. A sexually satisfied couple is a happy couple, something that Elena doesn't want you to be, obviously."

"What do you want me to do? Rock his world and headboard so he is a happier man? That sounds like it's my duty to keep him satisfied." I frowned at that thought, making Andrea groan in annoyance.

"You know that's not what I meant. What I am saying is, enjoy it. That will satisfy him enough."

"According to Elena, his satisfaction doesn't last long. She said he gets bored soon when his excitement dies off." I mumbled sourly.

"Of course, she said something like that. She just wants to intimidate you." Leila let out fiercely. "She is jealous, don't forget that."

I couldn't even if I tried to.

"She probably thinks that you are going to replace her in Christian's and, more importantly, Ellie's life, you know, take away the mummy role, or something. That's why she has asked you to stay away from them, not because she wants Christian back. It's about the portrait of perfect, little family, not about the individuals in it." Leila went on. "Ellie adores you already and Christian kisses the ground you are walking on, of course, she is going to feel threatened."

"I don't want to replace her, though." I exclaimed frustrated with the whole situation. "I don't even know what will happen with me and Christian. For all I know, she might be right and he might get bored of me."

"She can't be sure about that. Nobody can, so the suspense is killing her." Andrea threw in. "And if Ellie is really talking about you non stop, she is probably going crazy."

"I don't know, guys. That sounds so vague." I tried to say, but got interrupted immediately. Man, these two were really whooping my ass. I needed it, though.

"Think about it, Ana. It's crystal clear that she is just being a jealous bitch. Don't let her mess your mind."

Easier said than done.

* * *

It was a little after ten when I finally arrived home, my comfortable couch already waiting for me. Eagerly, I put on my sleepwear – a gray t-shirt and red shorts –, brushed my teeth and took a blanket and my phone with me as I wandered to my living room, taking a seat on my couch. With the blanket draped around me, I picked up my TV remote to watch some mind-numbing TV before going to bed, needing the lights of the TV to get me more sleepy. I tried not to think about all the things the girls had said about Elena, she was the last thing I wanted to think about before going to bed, but somehow she managed to disturb my peace.

While the girls had been watching the movie, I had been thinking about Elena's threats. She had wanted me to stay away from her kid and her ex, telling me that I was just another fling of Christian, telling me that he would get bored of me eventually. I had kept my mouth shut and ran out of the restroom since I had no strength to fight against her. While we had waited for Ellie's x-ray results, she had grinned with triumph visible on her face, her green eyes teasing me whenever our eyes crossed. I had fought against the urge to cry, it was a rather unexpected reaction and not one of my proudest moments, but what done was done.

Just like the doctor had suspected, Ellie had only sprained her ankle. She was now the proud owner of an ankle brace and was signed off school for two weeks, something she wasn't entirely happy about. While Christian was working, her grandmother stayed with her. Christian had told me that she was especially cranky about her injury, her pain sometimes too much for her to handle. The thought of her being in pain broke my heart. I had made her classmates make a get-well-soon card with lots of glitter, which I had sent to her via Christian. She had been more than thrilled.

Suddenly, my phone chirped once, taking me back to the now and then. I looked at the screen, raising my eyebrows as I read the name on it.

 **Are you awake? - C**

I hadn't talked to Christian today at all, since I spent most of it outside. There had been no time to talk between kindergarten and our girl's night out. Eagerly, I typed an answer for him.

 **Yep. Wide awake :) - A**

He didn't write another text, though. My phone ringed, announcing his call. With a wide grin, I picked up.

"Hey." I whispered into the silence of my living room after I silenced my TV. I heard how he took in a deep breath before he spoke.

"Hi." He said, his smile audible. "God. I really missed your voice."

His voice made my body tingle with anticipation, it was funny how he could still effect me without being in the same room.

"Only my voice?" I asked him with a teasing tone. I really loved teasing him, so did he.

"All of you, of course. Your smile, your smell, your lips." He chuckled lightly, making me blush with his words. "How are you?"

"A little sleepy, since I was out with my friends after a day at work, but otherwise fine. And you?" I asked him politely. He sighed into the phone, before he answered.

"Long day at work, longer day at home with Ellie, and probably the hardest day ever, since I didn't get to see you."

Oh dear God.

He sure knew how to make my heart skip a beat. That bastard.

"It's been two days. You will survive it." I joked, although I was feeling the same way.

"I don't think, I will. How sleepy are you?" He asked out of the blue, making me frown.

"I guess, I am just a little sleepy. Why do you ask?" I stuttered, waiting for him to talk.

"Well, I am kinda in front of your place. I should have called before I drove over, but I really missed you and I wanted to try my luck." His shrug was audible in his voice, he tried to play it cool, but I knew that he was as desperate as me.

"You are downstairs?" I let out, looking around in my apartment if anything was out of place, before my eyes landed on my outfit. My eyes widened as I looked at my simple shirt and shorts, but I guessed that it was too late to be worried about it now. I hardly could tell him to wait until I changed into something else.

"Will you let me in?" He asked, just when my door bell ringed.

"What about Ellie?" I asked, thinking that she is alone at home.

"Her grandmother is with her. Now, let me in." Of course, he hadn't left her alone. Silly me.

I tried to suppress a gleeful shriek as I hastily threw away my blanket and made my way to the door to buzz him in. Within a minute, he was standing in front of me, his hair messy, his smile breathtaking and his black leather jacket around his shoulders.

"Hi." I smirked brightly just like him.

"Hi." He said, mischief glistening in his eyes as they wandered over my figure, taking me in. His gray eyes darkened as they kept staring at my naked legs, my shorts only reaching beneath my buttocks.

"My eyes are up here, Grey." I joked cockily, snapping my finger in front of his face. He grinned widely as he looked into my face.

"I know. Your legs were too distracting, though. Don't blame me." He said with a shrug, brushing over his chaotic hair with his hand. His dark copper colored hair looked a little darker in the poor lighting of the staircase.

"I wouldn't dare. Come on in." I waved toward the interior of my flat, now realizing that this was the first time he was over.

"This is where you live, huh? I have always wondered how it would look like." Christian said as his eyes wandered around with curiosity visible in them, when I lead him to my living room. He looked at every little detail with interest, from my family portraits to my books, as I stood beside him awkwardly shy, even though we were on my territory. He took off his jacket, revealing a gray t-shirt underneath. It looked great on him, his muscles were really complimented by it.

"It's small, but it's enough for me." I said with a shrug as he threw his jacket onto my couch, where my neglected blanket and book were placed. Suddenly, Christian wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me toward him, so that our bodies were touching, making me shriek out of surprise. He tilted up my chin with his free hand, a small smile curled his lips.

"Hi." He breathed at my lips, my cheeks flushing at the sudden skin contact.

"Hi." I could only repeat his words, since my mind was too allured to think about own words. His hand found its way on my neck, his fingers softly playing with my curls. I closed my eyes with a blissful expression on my face, I loved this feeling.

Gently, Christian put his lips on mine, once, twice, thrice, before I parted my lips to give him access as my body buzzed with desire and arousal. I put my arms around his neck as he pushed his tongue into my mouth, circling mine, kissing my lips before biting my bottom lip gently and then not so gently. It made me groan, which lead to him grabbing my ass with his hands, pulling me closer to him, so I could feel his erected dick underneath his jeans. My eyes rolled inward behind my closed lids as I felt him right there, where I ached for him the most. My whole body ached for him, but the damned kitty was extra greedy.

Eventually, we had to take a breath, after all, oxygen was important for the body.

"Can I assume that this isn't just a random visit?" I asked him as we swung slowly with our foreheads pressed against each other, our noses brushing. He gulped hardly before he spoke, his eyes dark and burning with fire.

"It can be whatever you want it to be, Ana." He whispered, his cheeks flushed from exhaustion. He was letting me call the shots, something I really appreciated.

"I want you." I whispered shyly, feeling the nervousness all over my body, from my hair roots to my little toes. This wasn't what I had expected for tonight, I had thought we would have to wait a little longer since Ellie was injured now and he barely had time outside of work, but apparently, tonight was the night, my kitty finally got some scratching.

Christian didn't need to hear more.

His lips found mine again, sensually kissing me as he slowly pushed me backward. Soon enough, I was stuck between him and the nearest wall, hitting my head once. I groaned into his mouth, my arousal numbed my pain as he cupped my buttocks firmly, lifting me up easily. I wrapped my legs around his hips, grasping his hair tightly. Although his hands were being nothing but gentle, his lips moved on mine with tender care, his tongue never disturbing me, his teeth never biting too hard. I arched my back as my whole body felt like it was put on fire, trying to dry hump him. His dick hardened underneath his jeans and since my shorts were thin enough, I could feel him between my legs.

"Fuck." I mumbled, letting go off his lips and turning my head away from him as his bucking hips hit that perfect angle that made me see stars. He reached up to my throat and just turned my head back without giving me the chance to take another breath, his lips on mine again and this time he was more aggressive. His tongue pushed into my mouth, I suspected that his sudden change of attitude was because of my breathed out curse.

The thought that I could have an affect on him, was making me feel confident and high on triumph. I had known that Christian found me attractive, even if I didn't know why, but seeing his reactions was making me feel more confident in my own skin. I would dare to say that I was feeling sexy, even.

My lips felt swollen when he finally let go off them, a stupid grin spread on my flushed face as his lips wandered to my chin, slowly continuing their torture toward my neck and my throat before they stopped at the swell of my breasts. I opened my eyes and looked at him with a confused expression on my face. He took a deep breath before he planted a soft kiss on my left breast, looking up at me with darkened eyes.

"Your bedroom?" He asked with a rough voice, making me gulp hardly. He looked so hungry, horny even, that it was making my throat dry, my muscles clenched with anticipation.

"Down the hall." I whispered, nodding toward the living room door. He didn't let go off me as he made his way toward my living room. I hugged him tightly in order not to fall, even though his hands were holding me. We stumbled to my bedroom door, which Christian opened with his elbow before he pushed it open with my back.

"Uff." I let out when he suddenly put me down, landing inelegantly on my feet. He brushed my chaotic hair away from my face before grasping my cheeks gently, his eyes starring deeply into mine before he leaned down to put his lips chastely on mine. Gone was his aggressive mood, he was now sweet and gentle. I didn't know which side I liked more, although I reacted the same way to both of them. My heart thumbed rapidly in my chest as all my nerves and senses bundled between my legs. I didn't remember having ached for anyone like this before, I sure had been aroused before, but what Christian was doing with me was out of this world.

"I hadn't planned it like this." He whispered suddenly, kissing the tip of nose gently. I looked up at him through half closed lids.

"What do you mean?" I asked, counting his lashes which were barely visible since the room was only lit by the moonlight shining through my window. Maybe we should light a few candles or at least turn on my bedside lamp. Crap. Was my room clean and tidy? I quickly looked around, checking if there were any clothes lying on the floor, but everything looked neat enough as far as I could tell in the darkness. It was a good thing that I had changed my comforter yesterday, I thought.

"This isn't what you deserve, Ana. This is too rushed." He said, leaning down for a kiss again. I moan softly into his mouth as his tongues swirls around mine, the kiss over too soon.

"Huh?" I only let out, my eyes nearly closed and my mind dazed. I didn't think that I would be able to comprehend anything he said, but I listened anyway when he talked.

"You deserve to be treated like a lady. I should have wined and dined you first." Christian said as his fingers gently massaged my cheeks. A goofy grin spread on my face and I leaned in to his touch.

"We dined and wined enough, don't you think?" I asked shyly, making him grin. "Besides, I thought you were into spontaneity?"

"I am very much into spontaneity, believe me. I just don't want to rush you. If this is too early, if this is too much, you have to tell me now. Once we have started, it will be immensely hard for me to stop." He grunted with dark eyes, his word making me gasp.

"I don't want to stop." I moaned lightly, grasping his hands which were on my face as I leaned toward him to put my lips on his. I kissed him as persuasive as I could, nibbling on his bottom lips gently. It turned into a wet, hasty kiss when our tongues finally touched, the wetness between my legs was competing it. Christian bit my bottom lip before he let go off me, towering over me as his lust filled eyes starred into my shy ones. His hands left my face and he stepped a step back, his eyes never leaving mine. I felt the intensity thicken, the attraction between us was pulsing and I was sure that I could cut it with a knife.

"Take off your shirt." He commended with a strict tone. Something about his dominance made my kitty purr, it seemed to like the image of him. Unless he wasn't hiding whips and cranes in his bedroom, I was fine with a little bit of dominance.

My shirt landed on the floor as I revealed my flushed upper body, my breast hidden beneath my bra. Nothing lacy unfortunately, but Christian didn't seem to mind. In fact, he asked me to take it off next. My hardened nipples were thankful to be free, they saluted him when his eyes took them in. When he didn't speak for what felt like an eternity, I took matters to my own hands and simply slipped out of my shorts, they were in our way after all. Christian watched me move with a dazed expression, not making any move to touch me or himself.

Only when I sat down on my bed, skidding to the middle of it where I leaned back to prop myself up with my elbows, my legs widen and my admittedly boring, black slip on show, a seductive smile curling my lips, he suddenly pulled off his shirt, throwing it to the floor in a hasty move. Christian stumbled toward the bed, crawling up to me and stopping between my legs. I giggled at his hasty moves, my hands immediately brushing over his lean shoulders and muscular upper arms. His skin felt warm and soft underneath my hands, his light chest hair tickled my palms. He propped himself up with one arm beside my head, the other one was free to touch now.

First, he tilted my head, making me look away from his chest, before kissing me fiercely and quickly. It left me breathless and, most importantly, foggy-brained, which was probably intended since now he could touch me all he wanted, without me fumbling him. His kisses wandered to my throat, sucking, biting gently, before they found the swell of my breasts, simultaneously his fingers started tugging at one of my nipples.

I groaned, clenching my teeth as his finger twisted and tugged, my legs automatically closing around his hips. My hips bucked up, the kitty was looking for some friction on his rough jeans. His belt hit the right spot, I gasped as I saw stars again. He groaned as he thrusted his crotch against me, cursing loudly.

His hand was rough as he squeezed my left boob, his face right between my tits as he nuzzled the skin there.

"God. I love your tits." Christian grunted, getting up a little so he could use his other hand, too. He pushed my boobs from left and right, before he licked one of my nipples in a deliberate slow move. I let out a loud sigh, biting my lip as I closed my eyes.

"You like that, don't you?" He asked playfully. I could feel his eyes on me, but I didn't bother to open mine as I simply nodded. I had given him the ultimate control, as long as he relieved me, I had no objections. Thank God, Christian didn't need to hear more. He simply took my nipple into his warm mouth and started a devilishly good torture by sucking, biting and licking it. This time, I moaned loudly, feeling him grin against my skin. Cocky bastard with a growing erection.

"Do you want me to continue?" He asked with a breathy whisper, gently rolling my nipple between his teeth. I groaned, slamming my palms against my mattress and grasping my comforter. Suddenly, Christian reached up and hold my chin tightly, his lips stopping their torture on my breast.

"Open your eyes and answer me." He said in a demanding tone.

"Oh my god." I mumbled out of breath as I opened my eyes and saw his scolding look.

"Answer me." He demanded again, arching one eye brow. I blinked several times as I panted, gulping hardly in order to find my voice.

"Yes. No. D-don't stop." I stuttered, earning a cocky grin from him. A small part of my brain was telling him to fuck himself, it didn't want to be treated like this, but my brain wasn't the one giving orders at this moment. No, my body was taken over by lust and desire, my kitty was now in charge and it had waited a really, long time.

Christian started his assaults on my boobs, licking, biting and sucking one nipple as his fingers tugged at the other one. He changed after a few minutes while I wiggled underneath him, his hips pressing me down. Slowly, his lips traveled down, kisses following kisses, licks following licks, his tongue circling my navel, his hands grasping my hips to keep me in my place. When his nose brushed over the edge of my slip, I grasped his hair tightly, my muscles tensing when he slowly dragged them down my legs with his fingers. He hold my legs up with one hand as the other took my slip off. I was just going to spread them, when Christian stopped me by holding my ankles tightly and propped them against his shoulder while he knelt in front of me.

With hooded eyes he stared down at me, his free hand gently caressing my thigh as he looked like he was trying to memorize every little detail of my naked body. I felt like I was on fire underneath his stare, my blush spread from my cheeks to my torso. A sudden feeling of embarrassment made me look down nervously. I wasn't the fittest person around, my hips had a little too much on them although my tummy was flat enough to be considered skinny, but all the carbs I had eaten had made their way to my hips and thighs. I didn't look remotely close to what his ex wife looked like, this certainly was something that made me feel less confident in my own skin.

 _Dear God. Stop thinking about Elena. This is not the moment for a comparison. Concentrate on the half naked man starring down at you with hungry eyes._

"You are so fucking sexy." Christian whispered throatily, suddenly spreading my legs so they were on his left and right side, my kitty visible for his eyes. Good thing that I had shaven everything only two days ago. He leaned down to capture my lips in a hasty kiss, his tongue ruthless in my mouth, circling mine. I felt his hand slowly making its way up my thigh, taking his sweet, little time before he finally touched where I ached for him the most.

I moaned loudly into his mouth when his fingers sensually circled my clit, speeding up after a few minutes, before he slowed down again, my legs shaking because of his sensual torture. He let go off my lips and crawled down, leaving a wet trace of kisses on my buzzing skin. They finally found their target right between my legs, his tongue driving me crazy as it circled the little bud, one of his fingers inside me, then another. My moans had reached their peak, getting louder and louder, his lips and tongue were doing magical – at least they felt pretty magical to me – things to me, the stars on the infinite galaxy so close to be touched. I just needed to… he just needed to continue his amazing work, his tongue never stopping, his fingers… oh his fingers… I didn't know how long it lasted, it might have been a few seconds, a few minutes, maybe even hours, but suddenly, I felt like all my senses were shut down, my bones felt like jelly and my muscles relaxed until….

FUCK!

I cried out when I finally cummed, my whole body jolting from the force of my first orgasm caused by Mr. Christian Grey.

"Christian." I let out quietly, panting once again.

"Christian." I repeated, as his fingers left me. I opened my eyes and saw him suck on his fingers, licking them clean with a smug grin.

"You taste mighty fine, Miss Steele." He said in a teasing tone. I couldn't even roll my eyes at him, I was that inable to move. He reached down to unbuckle his belt, the loud noise of his act made me crane my neck to get a clearer view. With tired bones, I raised my hand toward him, fumbling with his zipper. He brushed my hand away, grasping my wrist before he leaned down to kiss my hand's back gently.

"Let me." I pleaded, trying to sit up so I was face to face with his crotch. I fumbled with his zipper and button, pulling his pants with boxers down so his hard dick sprung free.

"Feels like a deja vu." I giggled as I put my fingers shyly around his dick, hearing him hiss. "Hopefully no interruptions this time."

"Trust me. The way I am feeling right now, I might beat the shit out of anyone who dares to interrupt us now." Christian growled, his head thrown back as I pumped my hand up and down, squeezing him tightly enough so it was still pleasurable. With my free hand, I grazed his tip, circling around and collecting the drops of precum. I looked up at him from underneath my eyelashes as I popped my finger into my mouth, licking it with a satisfied moan. He opened his eyes, cursing loudly as he saw what I was doing.

"Fuck, Ana. You are going to be the death of me." He roared suddenly, pushing me away and making me fall back. I yelped, my tits jiggling as I fell back.

"Uff." I let out, biting my lip as I watched him wiggle out of his jeans and boxers, before he took a small, plastic package out of his pocket. His cock jolted when he moves hastily, crawling up toward me with a hungry look on his face. He knelt above me as he ripped open the package to put on the condom on his dick. I reached toward him with my hand and grasped the plastic covered tip, before I pumped up and down in slow motions. Christian groaned, his hips bucking into my touch.

"Stop it, Ana." He mumbled weakly.

"Don't you want me to reciprocate?" I asked shyly, biting my lip, now putting my other hand around him, too.

"God, I really do, but I want to cum while I am inside you. Maybe another time." He groaned, leaning down to kiss me quickly. With a swift move, he spread my legs further, his dick moving up and down on my lower lips, making me sigh loudly. He grasped my thighs tightly before he tapped my clit with the tip of his dick, once, twice and one last time. I closed my eyes, biting my lip as I waited anxiously for his next move. I felt him at my entrance, my heart skipped a few beats while my inside was boiling. Suddenly, he thrusted forward in one swift move, making me gasp out loud. For a moment, it stung and made me feel uncomfortable, but as soon as he started moving inside me, slowly at first, but firmly soon enough, I had nothing to complaint. I was once again seeing stars.

"Fuck." He mumbled between each thrust, his fingers digging into my thighs' skin as he hold onto them while he fucked me seven shades of Sunday. This wasn't slow love making, this was pure fucking and it was fucking good.

"Harder." I groaned loudly, making him throw my legs over his shoulders, my hips practically in the air, but I didn't care as long as he didn't stop.

"Do. You. Mean. Like. This?" He muttered through clenched teeth, supporting each word with another thrust. I threw my head back, my eyes closed as my hands hold onto my comforter tightly. Oh God. Oh my God. This was out of this world, this was earth shatteringly good, this was teeth clenchingly perfect.

Now I was even more angry at last weekend's interruption. If Elena hadn't took that phone call, Ellie never would have sprained her ankle, and we never would have been interrupted. Then I would have been able to feel this earlier.

"Christian." I cried out, my legs aching after what felt like ten minutes. "My legs."

"Shit." He cursed as he slipped out of me, grasping his cock tightly, pumping himself as he watched me with a dazed expression on his face for a couple of seconds.

"Lie down on your side." He demanded. I quickly did as I was told, feeling him lie down behind me. He reached down to hold up my leg, before he tried to push his dick between my folds, a difficulty since he couldn't see what he was doing, he also couldn't use his hand as it was holding up my leg. I reached down and directed his wet dick inside me, sighing blissfully as he finally started thrusting again.

"God. Your tits fucking bounce." He whispered into my ear, making me open my eyes and look down. He was right, my tits really bounced, and I could feel his stare on them.

"I can't wait to fuck them." He mumbled, thrusting especially hard, making me yelp. "You would like that, don't you? You would like me to fuck your tits. Do you want me to cum on them?"

"Oh God." I let out, my muscles starting to clench, my eyes rolled inwards. "Christian, please."

"Do you want to cum? Do you want to cum on my cock?" He asked, his voice drowning the wet noises coming from where we were connected.

"Yes, please." I whimpered, reaching down to hold his hand on my leg. I turned my head and tried to kiss his lips, finding his chin first. He craned his neck in order to kiss me, his tongue pushing in and circling mine. He looked into my eyes after we broke our kiss, his usual gray now dark.

"Ask for it." Christian ordered, his dick inside me hitting that one spot that made me squirm. I closed my eyes, a goofy grin spreading on my face. Suddenly, his movements slowed down, making me frown. I was rather enjoying the hard thrusts.

"Ask for it, Ana."

Oh God. He wasn't going to give up.

"W-what?" I breathed out, trying to wiggle my hips. It didn't feel as good as his thrusts, but it was enough to make me wiggle some more. He cursed into my ear, biting my earlobe.

"Dammit, Ana. Ask for it."

Oh for the love of God.

"Fuck me, Christian. Fuck me and make me cum." I cried out, giving in to his wishes.

And boy, did he fuck me. Minutes after that, we were a mess of panting limbs as he emptied his seed inside the condom, my walls clenching deliciously around him. He thrusted a few times, before he pulled out, falling to his back as he took deep breaths. Now that his supporting hands were gone, I fell down face forward, smiling into my mattress as I came down from my high.

"Holy fuck, Ana. I don't think we will be able to do something else from now on."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to fundays for this chapter ;)**

 **Yup.**

 **This just happened.**

 **Daddy C got a dirty mouth, eh? :D Frim now on, he will show us more :D**

 **Until next time, Melii :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Boo.**

 **It's February 1st and I am uploading 10 days earlier than i had originally planned to do. I had planned to upload once I watched Darker - 10 FREAKING DAYS PEOPLE I AM SO EXCITED -, but somehow i was too excited to wait. Your luck, I guess ;)**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **18\. From sorrow and sadness**

"Gia is really nice. You would like her."

Jose had been non stop talking about my father's new girlfriend since he had met her a week ago at his fishing trip with my dad. Apparently, Gia was a petite, blonde woman with a warm smile and a nurturing nature. She and Ray were like the missing pieces of each others puzzle according to Jose. I suspected that he was on her team now.

I looked up from my neglected salad and rolled my eyes at him.

"It sounds like you are trying to hook me up with her." I joked, reaching for my can of pop soda before I took a sip. Even though I had decided to have a healthy salad for lunch, I hadn't missed the opportunity to drink pop soda. If my hips could speak, they would tell me that I should go easy on them. After all hips didn't lie according to Shakira.

"I'm just saying that she is a good one and Ray really likes her. You should visit them before they think you don't want to meet her." Jose said with a pleading look. Seemed like he and my dad had become real buddies since they were always protecting each other.

"I never said that I didn't want to meet her. I just have a tight schedule at the moment and I am busy." I explained, chewing on a piece of carrot.

"Busy with what exactly?" He asked with a frown. "The only time we see each other is at work, you don't go out as much as you used to with the girls, and I have no idea what you are doing on the weekends. Do you have a new hobby, or what?"

I looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Are you my stalker now? What's with the interrogation? I am busy with stuff."

 _Christian's stuff._

I had to suppress a giggle when I thought about the last time – which was a little over five hours in the past – I had been busy with his stuff. Last night, Christian and I had sex. I had sex with Christian Grey. Last night. It was still blowing my mind, just like the orgasms he had given me. I hadn't bothered to count them, I had just enjoyed each of them very, very much. A blush spread on my face and I tried to concentrate on something else than our latest sexual encounter, which had been this morning in the shower before we left for work. I doubted that I would manage to think about my shower without getting aroused ever again. Like Christian had said last night, I doubted we would be able to do something else than sex from now on. Dear God, even thinking about him made my muscles clench.

"I went to the movies with the girls last night. We hang out as often as always, I don't know what you mean." I said pathetically, waving my fork in his direction. "Stop giving my boring life a thought."

He sighed with a shake of his head.

"I am not giving your boring life a thought, I am just doing what I have been asked to do." He said with lips pressed to a thin line. "Your dad has asked me to find out if you are hesitating to visit them because you don't like the thought of him dating or if it is something else."

Guilt shot through my body, hitting me with the force of a truck. I frowned at Jose, gulping down a piece of tomato before I placed my fork on my plate.

"He sounds worried." I said biting my lip. "I don't have a problem with his newly found girlfriend. I just don't have time until summer break."

"Fine, Steele. I just wanted to do your poor father a favor. He is worried about his daughter's opinion and he obviously cares about her." Jose snapped, his tone serious. "Don't tell me what's keeping you busy."

Suddenly, Andrea sat down beside me in her chair in our teacher's lounge, my conversation with Jose had made me ignore our surrounding. She giggled loudly, placing her tray of food onto the table.

"I know what's keeping her busy. She is busy flirting with the hot daddy." Andrea said smugly, making me gasp.

"Andrea!" I let out blushing. I didn't feel comfortable enough to speak about new boyfriend at my workplace, somehow it still felt wrong and taboo even though we had Leila's blessing.

"Tzz. Don't be so shy. I am just telling the truth." She arched an eyebrow at me, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Jose asked confused, looking back and forth between us. "What hot daddy?"

"There is no hot daddy." I said. Andrea interrupted me.

"Christian Grey." She told him excitedly. "They have been dating for a few weeks now."

Oh for the love of God. I was going to kill her. Jose was my friend, yes, but there was still that weird feeling in my chest which made me hesitate telling him about Christian. We weren't doing anything wrong, but I thought that before we made it official, we had to speak to Ellie about it. The poor girl still didn't knew about her daddy's relationship with me, who knows how she was going to react. Christian was certain that she would be more than thrilled, but still I had to make sure that her excitement wouldn't lead to confusions. We had to make sure that she understood that my relationship with her father was in no way going to change my teacher status. Children could easily mistake personal affection for favoritism at school.

Besides I had to find out what our future together was build on: physical attraction or fond feelings?

I liked Christian, I liked talking to him, I liked the way he was with his child and I definitely liked the way he pounded into me, but the question was if these facts were enough for a future together. What if his excitement for me passed just like Elena had predicted? I would hate for her to be right, I was certain that she would make sure that I would never hear the end of it.

 _Great._

 _It's not bad enough that she is already a problem in our presence, but now I also fear her in my future._

It was not a secret that Christian and I still needed to talk about her, my mind was full of questions and I craved those answers like air to breath. I needed to know about their relationship, their break-up and their current arrangement because even though she was his ex, she was a part of his life and said part had threatened me, so why not know as much as possible about her? That would give me the upper hand in our next meeting, I would know straight facts about her while she could only throw assumptions at my face.

"Christian Grey as in Ellie Grey's father?" Jose asked with a concerned voice, taking me back to the now and then. "Your student's father? Ana, I don't know if this is a good idea. Leila would be.."

"Leila is totally cool with it. She asked for her permission before they started dating. Don't be so tight, Rodriguez." Andrea pursed her pink painted lips. She was fighting against everyone who tried to separate me and Christian, even when I was the one who tried to look for excuses to doubt my decisions. She had threatened to whoop my ass if I ever made anyone else's opinion doubt myself. Leave it to Andrea to be scarily supportive.

"But what about the girl? She must be overwhelmed." Jose threw in, his sad, puppy dog eyes looking into mine.

"She doesn't know yet." I confessed with a shake of my head. "We are waiting to tell her, so please don't speak about this with anyone."

"Of course, I won't, Ana. I am just worried about you." He said, making Andrea sigh.

"Why? She isn't doing anything wrong. Stop making her doubt herself." She said fiercely, totally hitting the nail on the head. I could feel the doubt bubbling inside me, mixed with a feeling of anxiety. My mind was full of what if's, each of them left a loud, annoying noise kinda like the error sound of a computer.

Thank God, my messy brain was interrupted by the loud _ping_ of my phone, announcing a new text message. My heart thumped rapidly with anticipation as I read the name on my phone's screen, his name alone leaving me breathless.

 **Are you still sore? - C**

My face flushed heavily as I felt the eyes of my friends on me, his words only doubling the intensity of color in my face. Instinctively, I squirmed in my seat, my muscles still sore from the activities of last night and this morning. He really had made sure that I thought about him with each step, just like he had promised to do.

" _I want you to feel me tomorrow, I want you to remember this exact moment."_ He had whispered into my ear as he had taken me from behind, me on my knees and hands with him pounding into me as he leaned down to whisper his dirty, dirty words into my ear.

"Look how red she is." Andrea mocked me with a smug grin, waggling her eyebrows. "It's the hot daddy, isn't it? Is he sexting you?"

"Andrea." I gasped, giving her a mean look. I didn't feel comfortable enough to talk about stuff like sexting and the hot daddy around Jose. God bless his soul, he looked as uncomfortable as me, excusing himself quickly. We watched him walk away with his tablet in his hands and as soon as he closed the door behind him, I was all over my friend.

"That was so embarrassing. Why do you keep embarrassing me?" I asked her with a frown.

"Please." She rolled her eyes at me, the 'duh' thick in her voice. "He has the hots for you, that's why he practically ran away when you got a text from Christian."

"Jose hasn't the hots for me. We are good friends." I muttered, looking at her like she was crazy.

She munched on her sandwich before she spoke, wiping away the crumbs around her mouth with a napkin.

"He has the hots for you since the day you started working here, you just haven't noticed before. I told him to tell you what he feels, but he is surprisingly shy and somehow intimidated by you."

I widened my eyes at her, pushing my tablet away from me. I regretted choosing a salad since it barely kept me sated.

"You knew and you didn't tell me? Some friend you are." I mumbled sourly, earning another eye roll. One day, her eyes were going to get stuck in that pretty head of hers.

"I waited for him to have the guts to confess his feelings, but I never thought you guys were meant to be. You are meant to be with Christian. Speaking of which. What is he texting you? Is it something dirty?" Andrea asked with waggling eyebrows. I bit my lip as I nodded slowly, making her squeal.

"Well, you better answer him now." She commended excitedly, thankfully giving me the privacy and not looking at my phone as I typed.

 **Wouldn't you like to know? - A ;)**

I loved our flirty tone and our playful banters, I loved the way we were at ease with each other. It certainly spoke volumes about our relationship's dynamics. He was quick to answer. It seemed like somebody had been waiting on the phone. Lucky me.

 **I _know_ that you are sore. - C ;)**

"God. You grin like a sickeningly happy person. Yuck." Andrea commented as she regarded my wide, all teeth showing grin.

"Even your eyes sparkle." She added, making me blush.

"It's all because of him." I whispered shyly, the buzzing feeling of joy warming my limbs.

 **Cocky bastard. Why are you asking then? - A**

"He better have a twin brother you could hook me up with me. Help a sister out." Andrea said nonchalantly. I giggled at her words, shaking my head.

"He is an only child. Sorry."

She pursed her lips, her eyes narrowed.

"Why the hell didn't his parents make at least another hot boy? They could have done me the favor." She whined, my turn to roll eyes came just like Christian's new text.

 **I like to hear you confess what I have done to you. And I would like to hear you beg for more again. Soon as in tomorrow. Dinner? - C**

"He is asking me out again for dinner." I told my friend as typed my answer for him.

 **Sure. Where and when? - A**

"You should skip dinner and bang him. How often do you guys want to go out before he finally gets to meet your kitty?" Andrea said a blaming tone. I blushed deep crimson as I bit my lip, trying to stop a Cheshire cat grin from spreading on my face.

"Well, about that.." I chuckled as I brushed my hair away from my face in a nervous gesture. "They kinda already met. Last night. Repeatedly."

In an Oscar worthy performance, Andrea's eyes widened and her jaw nearly hit the floor before she gasped loudly.

"What the hell? What the hell, Ana? How? When? How?" She let out, jumping up and down in her seat. I tried to calm her down, her excitement was too overwhelming, but she ignored me completely.

"How was it? Was he good? He has to be good cause he looks like he is good. Wait. We were together last night. Did he drop by afterward? Was it planned? If so, why didn't you tell us, you bitch? We could have skipped that movie." She went on, her shoulders shaking as she did a happy dance. It was heartwarming how happy she was about me having sex with Christian.

"Yes, he came over last night after I came home. Yes, he was good. No, it wasn't planned." I answered her questions with a huge grin on my face.

"Details. I need details. Now." She demanded firmly, pouting when I shook my head. I hold up my phone toward her, showing her the time.

"My break is over. Sorry." I apologized with a shrug, enjoying her frustration very much.

Sometimes I could be really evil.

* * *

On Saturday, Christian picked me up dutifully at 6pm. Dressed in black pants, a white shirt and his leather jacket he looked handsome as always. His eyes scanned me from head to toe with a smile on his lips and darkened eyes, he whistled as he took in my new, green dress which had short sleeves, a decent oval neck and a knee length skirt. I had bought it yesterday evening on a last minute shopping trip, his dinner invitation had made me think about the content of my wardrobe, which had no chic clothing options. Andrea had been nice enough to help me pick this dress, in her words it was perfect for the dining and wining event, he had planned. She had advised us to skip the whole thing when she found out about my recent sexual experience with him, scolding me for not telling her immediately.

"He can have you on Saturday, but Sunday night you belong to us. We want a step by step description of _everything_." She had said with a firm tone, the way she emphasized _everything_ made me fear that _everything_ was more than I was feeling confident enough to tell. They would have to get me drunk first.

"Wow, Miss Steele. You take my breath away." Christian let out, a hand at his chest where his heart beat underneath as he pretended to faint. I giggled at his expression, smacking my red painted lips at him as I felt stupidly giddy out of the blue. I could have sworn that his eyes were made to make me a mess.

"You are not so bad yourself, Grey." I said with a wink, before locking my apartment's door behind me. He kissed my cheek lightly as we said our hellos. I didn't miss the fact that he ignored my lips.

"No kiss?" I asked with a pout.

"No kiss unless you want us to skip dinner completely." Christian said, shaking a finger in front of my face. I grinned smugly at him while he rolled his eyes.

"Come. We have somewhere to go." He said before he took my hand and lead me outside.

Like he had promised, Christian drove us to a fancy – well not a 5- star thing, but still fancy enough to make me congratulate myself for choosing this dress – restaurant, which was famous for its quiche and Filet mignon. Being the true gentleman that he was raised into, Christian got every door for me and even helped me sit down when we were lead to our table right beside the indoor aquarium where little fish swam around. I giggled at the fishes when they kept swimming against the glass, although it saddened me because it was kind of their prison.

While Christian entertained me with his life story, telling me about his time in college where he majored in Public Relations, I didn't miss the fact that he didn't mention his ex once. It had been my mission to question him about her, I had wanted to put an end to the mystery of their relationship since I deserved to know what the deal with her was, but as soon as he opened his mouth to whisper from across the table that he couldn't wait to pull my dress down my sinfully sexy body, my mind wandered to all the scenarios in which said dress landed on the floor of his bedroom while the afore mentioned body was in his mercy. The way he licked his lips after he took a sip from his red wine didn't help, just like the way he hummed when he took a bite of his steak.

My hormones were going crazy, the kitty was greedier than ever since it had gotten a taste of him two days ago. At least, I wasn't the only one who was desperately aching for another play time, Christian made sure to let me know what he was thinking when he saw me savor my chocolate pudding with extra enthusiasm.

"I want to feel your lips around my cock." He whispered quietly while I flushed deep crimson with my spoon still in my mouth. Suddenly I felt like I was swallowing dry paper and not the delicious chocolate pudding he had ordered for me.

His dirty talk knew no boundaries, neither did his hands as they traveled up and down my thighs on our way to his place. He wasted no time, as soon as the door to his house closed after us, he started tugging at my dress' zipper with impatient moves as he pushed me backwards toward the stairs. I slipped out of my pumps with an excited grin on my face, ready to turn around and run up the staircase, but Christian had other plans. He simply leaned down and threw me over his shoulder, making me shriek and giggle. I hang upside down, my face at his hips, when I couldn't resist to pinch his firm ass. He avenged himself by smacking mine, making me yelp with surprise.

In his bedroom, my dress ended up as a puddle around my ankles, he helped me to step out of it.

"Finally, I can kiss you." He said as he grasped my face to press his lips against mine. Our tongues found each other in a hasty kiss, teeth crushing together, lips sucking on each other, while my heart beat in a crazy rhythm. Holy fuck. He was really good at this.

"You could have kissed me all evening." I said as I helped him with my bra. He threw it across the room, it landed on his dresser. Unlike last time, I had actually chosen a nice pair of lacy underwear.

"Yeah? I don't think we would have eaten much then." Christian said with a breathy tone as he pulled me forward by tugging at my hardened nipples. I bit my lip with desire clenching my core as he lead me to his bed where he sat down at the edge and pulled me into his lap. I steadied myself on his shoulders, giggling as he leaned down to kiss my ticklish throat. Slowly my hands made their way to his neck where I hold onto his hair tightly as he fumbled with my boobs, nuzzling the skin between them while his hands squeezed them tightly.

"Food is totally overrated." I let out with a sigh, throwing my head back as he sucked on one of my nipples, biting it gently before he let go off it with a _pop_. He looked up at me with lust filled eyes, his long lashes nearly touching his flushed cheeks.

"I would rather eat you." Christian whispered, kissing my lips quickly. "With that chocolate pudding which made you moan."

"That was one yummy pudding." I confessed with a sigh, my fingers toying with his shirt's buttons as I opened them slowly, revealing his defined chest. I leaned down to kiss his skin, starting from his Adam's apple toward his left side where his heart beat underneath. Meanwhile he slipped out of his shirt completely, begrudgingly letting go off my boobs. When I tongued his left nipple, Christian had enough of my torture and turned us around in a swift move. I yelped when I was suddenly lying on my back with him towering over me with his arms steadying him on my left and right.

Blissfully, I closed my eyes as he started kissing me again. I could hear how he fumbled with his pants and managed to pull them down without breaking our kiss, which was pretty impressive. Now that there were gone, I could feel his hard dick when he finally made room for himself between my spread legs, only our underwear separating us. It was a perfect moment, I was once again lying underneath him, the kitty was happy since it was going to get some scratches soon and my inner diva was telling me to better be more active this time, she wanted me to show him all the freaky stuff I had heard about from Andrea and Leila on various girls nights.

I guessed the moment had been too perfect since as soon as I tried to wiggle my hand between us to get it on his erection, I was hit by the memory of Elena Lincoln with the force of a wrecking ball.

Wumm.

I was now a bloody mess on a wall, sandwiched between it and the wrecking ball.

Thinking about your boyfriend's beautiful ex while he was dry humping you was the number one mood killer.

I didn't know from where the thought had come, but I did know that it didn't leave once it was there. I had wanted to talk about her tonight, I had planned to question him about their relationship and their break up. Since he was always so tight lipped about her and since he was so angry at her, too – who could blame him? She had cheated on him after all -, I was more than curious if there was something he was was hiding from me. Oh God. Maybe he was still in love with her, I mean just because she cheated on him, he didn't have to stop loving her. He could be angry at her, yes, but did he stop loving her? She was the mother of his one and only child, it shouldn't be easy to forget the woman you have a child with.

Oh boy.

I felt how my confidence and my desire vanished like a pathetic, little fire under a heavy monsoon.

"Ana? Is everything alright?" Christian asked with a worried tone, stopping his kisses on my belly. I gulped down hardly, licking my lips.

"Uh – sure." I let out shyly as he crawled up to lie beside me, steadying himself on his elbow as he looked down at me.

"Are you sure? Is it something I did?" He frowned at me. I shook my head immediately.

"No, no. It's not about you. I was just… thinking." I confessed, crossing my arms at my chest because I suddenly felt shy in my skin.

"About what?" He said, brushing his fingers against my cheek before he played with a strand of my hair. I sighed, feeling my heart skip a beat with nervousness.

"Um- I was thinking about-t your marriage with Elena." I stuttered, watching his worried expression change into a confused one.

"What? Why?" He asked, withdrawing his hand from me. I felt how he tensed beside me. Great.

 _Don't give up now, Ana. The mood is already ruined._

With renewed purpose, I sat up and reached for one of his pillows to cover myself. He mirrored my posture and leaned back against his headboard beside me.

"I wanted to talk to you about her tonight at dinner, but I was too busy thinking about sex because you were being, well, you. But somehow, as soon as I was lying naked on your bed, I couldn't stop thinking about her." I said rapidly, giggling shyly. Christian looked at me with an amused expression on his pretty face.

"Wait. Wait. Wait." He interrupted me before I could go on. "You couldn't stop thinking about sex while we had dinner, but you can while we are half-naked and in bed?"

I rolled my eyes at him when he chuckled lightly.

"Don't look at me like that. You knew how weird I was when we started dating. I was just thinking about her because she was… really intimidating last weekend, so I had some questions about her and you." I said with a shrug. Christian groaned loudly, shaking his head.

"I really don't want to talk about her right now, Ana. I can think of a million things that would be more fun." He gave me a pointed look, trying to tug the pillow away from me. I hold onto it tightly.

"That's the problem, Christian." I sighed a little bit annoyed. "You always have something better to do when her name comes up."

"I'm sorry for not wanting to talk about my ex wife with my girlfriend. I forgot that this was such an interesting topic." The sarcasm in his voice irked me, just like the way he pressed his lips into a thin line, his jaw clenched.

"And I'm sorry for wanting to know everything about you or bothering to get to know you. Since you share a child with this woman, she is a big part of your life and the you way you keep your mouth shut about her makes me anxious." I snapped, my brows furrowed.

"Anxious? Why? It's not like you have to fear that I am still in love with her or something." He joked arrogantly, quickly catching my widened eyes. "That's not what you are thinking, right? Ana?"

I blushed deep crimson, hugging my cover pillow tighter. I took a deep breath before I could answer him.

"Y-you have to confess that I have lots of reasons to believe that." I stuttered while he grinned smugly. "The way you don't talk about her. The way you guys fought last weekend, like a married couple which you were once, of course, but you got divorced so that should have stopped. Or the way she manages to bring out extreme reactions in you. These are all very… liable clues, you have to confess."

 _Crap. I don't sound as convincing as I should be._

"Ana, don't you see? I do all that stuff because I'm immensely angry at her. I don't want to talk about her because that reminds me off everything she has done to me and my daughter. I am fighting with her like a married couple because that's what we are good at. Fighting was basically the only thing we have done in the last few years of our marriage. And she brings out the worst reactions in me because I'm not over what she has done to me yet. Elena broke my trust when she.." He stopped, looking away with an angry look. "God. I still hate to speak it out."

"It's okay." I mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "I- I know what happened."

My confession made him raise his eyebrows as his head snapped back toward me.

"You do? From where?" He asked coldly, his stare making me feel terrible for finding out something this personal about him from someone else.

"Is my source really that important?" I asked quickly. "It was before we started dating, though."

Christian pursed his lips, his Adam's apple bobbing when he gulped.

"Well, then why do you think that I could have feelings for her after what she has done?" He asked, sounding a little hurt. I quickly explained myself, the last thing I wanted was to hurt him.

"Just because you are angry at her, your feelings for her don't vanish. Often times these things go hand in hand. That why I thought that there might be… something."

"Well, there isn't. There never will be again. I had a bad marriage with her, but I at least didn't hate her, we tolerated each other enough to co-exist, I guess. But the way she broke my trust and humiliated me made very fond emotion vanish." He confessed, sighing deeply. "I mean, I always knew that Elena was difficult to handle, she was always very goal oriented and selfish even, but I trusted her since she was the woman I was married to and she was the mother of my daughter. I never would have thought that she would cheat on me."

"Always difficult to handle? How?" I whispered carefully, it seemed like he was ready to talk and I didn't want to lose that moment. He brushed his face with his hand before he threw his head back with a deep sigh.

"Elena and I, we met at high-school. Even back then she was very ambitious, but it was something I adored about her. It was what made her so special, I guess. Our relationship had its up and downs since she was often times too busy with her grades or her extracurricular activities, I felt left behind or forgotten. But we were used to each other, so we didn't break up. Hell, we even went to the same college where her ambitions took a big step forward when she won scholarship after scholarship and we slowly started to grow apart when we graduated. We knew we only had two options: either we were going to break up or we had to take the next step with marriage. And since we both were scared of change, we decided to stick together and got married, which was a foolish thing to do." He chuckled at his words while I watched him with anticipation sitting in my guts.

 _Great. They were high school sweethearts._

 _Drop it, Ana. He told you that he had no fond emotions left for her._

"It was not a good marriage, it wasn't build on mutual love and respect. Our lives revolved around her career and her success and with time, they shadowed over us. I had to give up my job because hers was always asking for priority. Events that needed me by her side as her companion were the worst. I hated every second of them, I felt like I was the trophy wife of a business tycoon. It chewed on my confidence, but don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with successful women. I only had a problem with the way Elena made me feel. The more successful she got, the less she appreciated me. It was no wonder that our marriage started crumble, once again we were at our breaking point. Our days were full of fights and when we were not fighting, we ignored each other completely. People advised us to get a child, telling us that children were the missing thing in our marriage and unfortunately, we listened to those advise. It was a very selfish thing to do, but I managed to persuade Elena to have a child. Obviously, she was going to be the one carrying it, so she was hesitant since she feared the pregnancy would hinder her career, but eventually she agreed. Ellie's birth made us feel blissful for a while, but soon the illusion ended and we weren't happy with each other. Ellie made us happy, but she also made it harder to break up. There was a child now, we couldn't just think about ourselves." Christian frowned at his words, before he shook his head as if he was trying to get rid of the sad memories.

I felt bad for making him talk about this, but deep down I knew that these were important facts I needed to know about. I had to be prepared in case this topic ever came up with Elena, she should see that he was trusting me enough to tell me his story.

"The divorce wasn't easy for Ellie, right?" I asked carefully, the super market incident coming to my mind. He shook his head, his eyes full of sadness and sorrow as he spoke. I listened with great patience and understanding, feeling bad for pushing him through this.

"No, not at all. She had a hard time understanding that we weren't going to live with Elena anymore. I mean, she was used to Elena not being around since she worked all day while I stayed at home with Ellie, but at the end of the day, she would come home and say goodnight to her. That seemed to be enough for Ellie because, unlike in the other parts of her life, Elena never played games with Ellie, she loved her honestly and truly. Of course, Ellie asked questions about her mother, about us, she wanted to know why Elena was moving out suddenly. How do you tell your child that her mother has cheated on you? I couldn't, so I only told her that we were not in love anymore, which lead to her believing that we didn't love her anymore, too. I hated Elena for that. I hated her for hurting my daughter, I hated her so much I wished that I had never met her, although that would mean I never would have gotten Ellie. But at some point, I was ready to take that. That's how much I hate her."

Christian squeezed his eyes, looking ashamed. Tentatively I reached over to hold his hand, biting my lip shyly.

"We don't have to do this, Christian. I'm sorry, I never had thought that this must be hard for you." I whispered, feeling embarrassed. He shook his head, reassuring me with his next words.

"You need to know this, Ana. I understand that. I would hate to leave unanswered questions in your head. I want to be every answer to every question you have, I want to be the solution for every problem you have, because I care for you deeply." He confessed, suddenly tugging me forward so I was lying in his arms, my cheek at his warm chest. His heart beat furiously underneath his skin, wild and rapid just like mine. His words left my mouth dry, they were certainly unexpected and far too much for me to handle.

"I'm still sorry for pushing you. That was selfish of me." I murmured, taking in his mushy, aphrodisiac smell. My face heated as I repeated his words over and over again, suddenly my tummy was full of wild butterflies.

"That's the effect of Elena. Once you have met her, she manages to fuck you up somehow." He said coldly, his fingers on my shoulder digging into my skin for a second. I had been dumb enough to believe that he was still thinking about her. How could he after everything he had to go through because of her? Elena didn't only destroy his trust, no, she also messed up Ellie's life. I didn't think Christian would ever forgive her for that.

His words made me remember Elena's behavior toward me. I felt like telling him what she had told me since he had been nice enough to interrupt our making out session for my crazy, demanding ass. He deserved honesty as much as I did.

"She made me feel insecure in my own skin." I confessed quietly, feeling him tense beside me. "In fact, she literally told me to stay away from you and Ellie since she thought that I am just an excitement for you. She didn't want us to fuck her daughter's life up, understandably."

"There is nothing understandable about Elena." Christian pressed out through clenched teeth, huffing loudly. "I should have know that she would do something like that. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Ellie was hurt that night, she needed you. I am a big girl." I answered with a shrug, looking up at his angry eyes. His anger was not addressed at me, though.

"Elena has no right to say something like that. She has no right to decide with whom I am and she has to trust my judgment, and if she doesn't, she needs to speak to me about it and not threaten you like a brat." Christian fumed, his gray eyes dark.

"I didn't want to cause stress." I mumbled, kissing his chest lightly in order to calm him down. His fingers traced circles on my skin, turning to his side so he was looking down at me.

"She causes stress, not you. I will deal with her, she won't be threatening you any time soon, I promise." He said, reaching over to brush my cheek gently. My skin prickled underneath his touch.

"I just don't want Ellie to get hurt because of all of this." I fumbled with my hands, looking away shyly once again. "She is her mother after all, so I can understand if she wants her daughter to be safe."

He grasped my chin, making me look up into his firm eyes.

"Hey. Don't let her do this. Don't let her ruin this, Ana. I am happy with you, Ellie is happy because I am happy, and I hope you are happy with me, too. You are not just an excitement, although you excite me a lot. That started when I first looked into your eyes, those big, blue eyes had me under their spell within a second and I knew that I wanted to get to know what you were hiding behind them." Christian whispered reassuringly, giving me a chaste peck on my lips. I smiled at him.

"Now you know that I am hiding lots of weirdness behind them." I joked, making a smile curl his lips.

"I really love your weirdness."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to thetaylorbecker for this chapter ;)**

 **He is making me swoon. Like I swoon while writing.**

 **Questions about Elena answered a little, right? Still lot to find out.**

 **Next chapter: Ellie and the talk with her.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xoxo**


	19. Chapter 19

**One month isn't that long, right? Thanks for the reviews and the love and the patience. I appreciate it and so does Daddy C ;)**

 **Not betaed!**

* * *

 **19\. From spoiling and t-shirts**

Waking up in Christian Grey's arms is definitely something a girl could get used to.

That was my first thought when I woke on Sunday morning with his warm skin on mine, his arms around me and his breath at my ear as he encircled me from behind. I smiled goofily into the room, blinking a few times to get the sleep out of my eyes, taking a look of the green neon digits on the clock standing on Christian's nightstand. It was only 9.43am, too early to be awake for my typical Sunday, but since we went to bed ridiculously early last night, it was no wonder that I was wide awake already.

After Christian and I had talked about his past with his ex wife, the earlier mood was gone, making us option for a quiet night cuddling in his bed with a few chaste kisses in between whispered conversations about anything we felt comfortable talking about. I was officially done with pushing him into talking about stuff he didn't want to think about, I had gotten my answers and I could wait for anything else patiently until he felt comfortable enough to talk about it with me. Although it was visible that he was equally relieved, I also didn't miss the fact that Christian didn't plan to talk about Elena anytime soon. Well, unless it was necessary. I couldn't blame him.

"Good morning." Christian whispered into my ear, his voice full of sleep. I felt his lips against my jaw, a smile curling his lips. I brought up my hand to caress his cheek gently, feeling that he had a light stubble spreading on his face. He turned his head to press a kiss into my palm.

"Mhh." I let out simply, closing my eyes again as I made myself comfortable in his arms. His body heat felt especially cozy.

"Not much of talker in the morning, are you?" He asked with a light chuckle. I shook my head, smiling when he turned me around so I was lying on my back with him towering over me. Begrudgingly, I opened my eyes to look up at his gray ones. A grin spread on his face as he regarded me with humor twinkling in his eyes.

"Hi." He whispered softly, leaning forward so our lips were nearly touching. I flushed as I bit my lips to suppress a grin.

"Hi." I let out, not able to withhold the giggle leaving my mouth. I didn't even understand I felt like I was hearing the funniest joke ever, but somehow I was high on endorphin. Maybe I was just high on Christian, he surely felt like a drug to me, but I doubted that I would end up in rehab because of him.

My eyes wandered from his breathtaking eyes to his strong jaw, his delicious lips, to his long neck, before they landed on his chest. The image of his light chest hair was enough to make me reach out toward his muscular chest, greedily touching his skin before it made its way to the curls at his neck. Meanwhile, Christian brushed his nose against mine, his eyes closed as he tilted his head to have a better access to my lips. His lips parted mine soon enough, our tongues pushing back and forth while a wild storm of desire brew in my belly. Christian placed his hands left and right from my head, his boxer clothed, otherwise naked body now lying completely on mine. After the Elena caused interruption of last night, he and I had put on our underwear for sleep, although he had forbidden me to put on my bra.

"I want to feel your tits on my skin." He had stated firmly, being as weirdly sexy as always. I had just nodded with widen eyes before I lied down. Needless to say, Christian had made sure he was touching at least one of my breasts when we went to sleep. It was a small wonder that his hand on my boob hadn't made me dry hump in my sleep. Seemed like I had more self-control while I was asleep than while I was awake.

"This is definitely a good morning." Christian mumbled at my lips when he let go off them so we could take a proper breath. I giggled with my arms around his strong shoulders, wiggling my hips against his when I felt his erection against the thin material of my panties. I tried to look down and catch a glimpse of it, even if it was safely behind his boxers, but his body pressed against mine and the blanket over us denied me my deserved look.

"You like that, don't you? Driving me mad?" He asked playfully, pushing his hard dick even tighter against me.

"Definitely." I answered cockily, feeling extra confident this morning. He didn't miss my exceptionally good mood, it looked like he was very much enjoying it. It was no secret that my good mood was because of our talk last night, the unanswered questions which had been nagging me were now in the past.

"You have been driving me mad since last night. Your dress, the way your lips closed around your fork, your moans. It's really not fair." Christian said with a pout. Oh God. He looked devilishly sexy when he pouted. I felt how my core clenched because of his dammit expression.

"Takes one to know one, Grey." I breathed, suddenly pushing against his chest so we rolled over. Now he was the one lying down while I sat on him. The blanket fell from my shoulders, leaving me topless over him. His eyes darkened as he got a view of my boobs, his hands immediately reaching up to fondle them. I bit my lip as he started tugging at my hardened nipples with a goofy grin on his face.

"This might be the best morning I had in a while." He confessed, his hands kneading my flesh, making me sigh with a thrown back head. My nipples were certainly my most sensitive spot. Instinctively, I started rolling my hips against him, his dick never really hitting the right spot this way, while I felt like a total hormonal mess. The sexless night had definitely left it scars in form of true frustration and desperation.

"I thought Friday morning wasn't that bad either." I said before I let out a loud moan when he flicked one of my nipples with his finger. God. He was driving me mad with just one of his fingers.

"It was good, more than good, but since I had to leave you immediately, I felt deprived. Today, I get to keep you and I don't plan letting you out of this bed." He said with a cocky wink, making me roll my eyes although his proposal sounded exactly like what the kitty was aching for. It had gotten a taste of him on Thursday night and now it was begging for a reputation, its claws were ripping me apart inside out, leaving a sting full of desire and arousal with each stroke.

I circled my hips, feeling desperate for any kind of friction and making him groan with squeezed eyes. I grinned smugly as he bit his lips while pushing his hips up, his hard dick hitting my center. It felt intoxicating to know that I could get these kind of reactions out of him.

"Fuck, Ana." He mumbled, suddenly sitting up so we were face to face, his lips immediately on mine, capturing them in a hasty kiss. I groaned into his mouth as he bit my bottom lip, his tongue pushing and teasing mine, my whole body tingling with heat. I threw my arms around his neck, desperately trying to deepen the kiss, never getting enough of him, never taking a breath. With my chest pressed against his, my boobs squeezed between us, we dry humped like horny teenagers, but dammit if it didn't feel good. Somehow everything with him felt good.

"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to feed you first, make you a Sunday breakfast in bed? Or do you want me to make a real mess out of you first?" Christian whispered hoarsely, his dark eyes telling me what option he was voting for.

I bit my lip and arched my eyebrows at him, making him grin smugly. I wasn't feeling hungry for food.

"Good girl." He said before we got lost in each other.

* * *

"You are spoiling me." I said with a pout as I watched Christian balance a tablet full of yummy breakfast stuff toward the bed. He had forbidden me to get out of it unless I had to use the bathroom, declaring that he was going to prepare the one meal he could cook well beside Mac'N'Cheese: pancakes.

"I think I spoiled you pretty well this morning." He said with a wink as he placed the tablet on my lap before taking his seat beside me. I hold the wooden tablet tightly so the food wouldn't spill and ruin his comforters or his shirt I was wearing. Like he had promised, Christian had prepared pancakes with maple syrup and butter, orange juice for both of us and some strawberries cut into little pieces. What surprised me was the fact that the pancakes were shaped as Micky Mouse's head. I smirked down at my plate.

"You sure know how to spoil a girl, Mr. Grey." I batted my eyelashes at him as I started cut Micky's ear, holding it up toward the man beside me. I watched his mouth close around the fork with piqued interest. He was right, there was definitely something erotic about that simple act.

"You are the only girl I want to spoil, Miss Steele." He hummed delighted after he swallowed his bite, reaching for a piece of strawberry. "Open your mouth."

I dutifully did as he said, grinning widely as he placed the little red fruit on the tip of my tongue. I gave him a bold look as closed my lips around his fingers for a quick second, sucking at them just to tease him. His gray eyes darkened as a naughty grin curled his pouty lips.

"As much as I like your lips around anything of mine, I still prefer them around my cock." His words made me blush, the memory of this morning's actions still fresh – there were just two hours ago after all. After he had ravished me like a man close to dying of thirst would drink water and after he had made sure that I was screaming his name as waves of pleasure hit me with each of his thrusts, Christian and I spent time cuddling with a stupid grins on our faces and flushed cheeks, talking about everything we wanted to talk about. Just when I had been telling him about the time I had started working at Mrs. Williams', he simply cut me off with a wet kiss before he flipped me so I was on my hands and knees, his long fingers teasing my pussy, soon to be replaced by his dick. I loved how spontaneous he was, I loved the way he just took me because he was horny. There was something erotic about the thought that I was his to use as he wanted to, he was definitely making no secrets about his dominant trait in bed.

 _"Spread your legs. Wider. Wider. Good."_

 _"Show me how you pleasure yourself."_

 _"Relax your throat. Keep sucking."_

 _"Don't cum. Only when I tell you to, understand?"_

His roughly whispered orders were still lingering in my ears, making me squirm in my spot. As much as I enjoyed his words, I still had to suppress widening my eyes at him whenever he talked especially dirty.

"Your dirty talk knows no boundaries. I don't know what I have expected since we already had established that you are rudely direct." I answered with a blush, concentrating on the simple task of stuffing my mouth with yummy pancake instead of thinking about sex.

"I can't remember hearing your complaints about it. In fact, I am pretty sure that it turned you on." Christian teased me, making me roll my eyes.

"Eat your Mickey Mouse head and let me eat mine, Grey." I mumbled while he chuckled. Cocky SOB.

"Ellie loves those, by the way." He said, nodding toward our plates as I took a sip of my orange juice. "She doesn't eat the plain round ones."

"When is she going to be back from Elena's?" I asked, anxiously looking at the clock. I didn't want her to catch me half naked in the bed of her father, eating her Mickey Mouse pancakes. Knowing her, I suspected that the latter would annoy her more.

"I'm going to pick her up around 5pm." Christian answered after he licked his lips clean of his orange juice.

"Then I probably should leave soon enough." I mumbled, making him raise his eyebrows before he gave me a thoughtful look.

"About that. I kinda had an idea." He said. I looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"What kind of an idea?" I asked tentatively, not able to read his expression.

"Well, I kinda wanted to introduce you to Ellie. You know, as my girlfriend. And I know you have doubts about her reaction and you want to be careful, which I understand considering that you are her teacher, but Ellie is an important part of my life just like you. I don't want to separate those two." Christian said with a shy shrug of his naked shoulders – he hadn't bothered to put on a t-shirt -, unusually soft spoken. It was obvious that this was important to him and since he was important to me, I could only agree, even though I felt a little anxious at the thought of opening up to Ellie.

"I want to meet her as your girlfriend, Christian. And if you think that Ellie is ready for it, I trust your decision." I whispered with a kind smile, reaching over to squeeze his hand. He sighed with relief visible on his face.

"We could have dinner together. I could take my two favorite girls out somewhere nice." He suggested with a happy smile. Seeing him happy made me feel happy, I was kinda getting to used to mirror his emotions. Empathy had always been one of my strengths, but with Christian it felt more special. It was scary that we had only met a couple of weeks ago, I felt like I knew him for ages.

I considered his suggestion with a tilted head.

"How about we stay at home and cook something nice? I kinda would favor to talk with Ellie more privately and in an environment she feels comfortable in. The sudden change in her life might surprise her and it would be wise to be somewhere she feels safe." The professional in me was talking, sounding like I was lecturing him. He didn't have a problem with that, though.

With an agreeing nod of his head, he curled his lips into a crooked smile.

"You will have to do the cooking, though. Unless you want to eat Mac'N'Cheese." He joked, making me giggle.

"I didn't get to eat it the last time. You still need to pass that test." I said cheekily. He raised his chin like a proud little boy, accepting the challenge.

After our breakfast, Christian and I took a shower together, which turned into another round of teeth clenchingly good sex where he took me against the tiled wall of his shower with hot streams of water running down his flexed back, his hands on my butt, my legs around his hips and his dick inside me. His mouth captured my moans as his hips thrusted forward roughly, my core burning with desire and pleasure. My legs felt like jelly when we dried ourselves with towels afterward, he couldn't stop grinning smugly whenever I hissed thanks to my sore muscles.

"Stop grinning like that, you ass." I pursed my lips at him as I wrapped the clean, white towel he had given me around my naked body, tugging its sleeve beneath the first layer underneath my armpit. He simply smacked my butt, keeping his hands there as he leaned down to kiss me quickly. I had to confess that he looked immensely attractive with just a towel around his hips, the outline of his dick visible.

Back in his bedroom, he gave me a pair of blue and white checkered boxers and a black t-shirt of a band called Lithium Springs. I tried to remember why the band sounded so familiar, starring intently at the logo colored in white – the name written in bold letters with peace signs, a broken heart and lips as the dots of the i's.

"My favorite band. I told you about them, remember?" Christian asked me as he slipped into a pair of dark green sweats and a white t-shirt.

"Oh. On our first date. You have their CD in your car." I let out, satisfied now that I finally had my answer. He nodded with a smile.

"I bought that t-shirt at their last concert. On the back, there is even an autograph of their drummer. I'm literally putting the second most important thing of my life into your hands. Well, third now."

He ended his words with a wink, although he didn't sound playful. I arched an eyebrow at him, the tingling feeling in my tummy announcing the wild butterflies he had caused.

"What is the first?" I asked, biting my lip as a blush spread on my cheeks.

"Ellie, of course." Christian answered with a shrug, uncharacteristically playing with the hem of his t-shirt as if he was embarrassed. My suspicion grew the more I looked at him and the more I tried to analyse his words. Andrea always liked to say that I should stop reading in between the lines and just take the lines as they were because often times things were simpler than thought. She blamed me to complicate even the smallest statements.

"Sometimes words don't have to have a hidden message. Sometimes words tell you exactly what you should know." She liked to say with pursed lips and shaking her head at times when I drove her insane with the way I analysed every word and every dot twice.

I tried to use her method for once.

"And the second thing?" I asked shyly, watching Christian's cheeks flush before he answered me with a soft voice.

"You."

My heart fluttered as I just accepted his word as it was - simple and most revealing. A wide grin tried to spread on my face as I realised that Christian wasn't just with me for the sex - although he had never given me that feeling, a girl could never be too sure. This thing between us had a meaning and it was strong enough for us to take the next step: telling his daughter.

Now I had no doubts about that we were doing the right thing. We were real, we had a connection, something emotional and physical, and we weren't obliged to meet behind closed doors.

"You are pretty important to me, too." I mumbled, wetting my lips with my tongue. My hair was pulled into a wet bun on my head, the towel was the only thing covering me.

Christian smiled, his gray eyes sparkling.

Suddenly the need to kiss him aroused in me and somehow I still felt shy about it. It was stupid since this man had seen more of my vagina than my obgyn, so I just stepped forward and took his face into my hands before I gave him a loud, wet kiss. Little, invisible bugs - love bugs as I liked to call them - crawled up on my skin, leaving a tingly feeling behind their little legs as Christian deepened our kiss. It wasn't a wild kiss, it wasn't erotic, it felt more sensual and gentle, making me melt in his arms as they encircled my waist, his hands gentle as if he was scared that he could hurt me.

This kiss was different than the ones we shared until now. It had a meaning, it was full of feelings. Feelings we had no name for yet, but feeling we were carrying in our chest like a secret treasure.

The sex we had afterward - something I indicated by dropping my towel in an Oscar worthy performance - was different, too. He didn't order me to do stuff this way or that way, he didn't tease me with a cocky grin, he didn't just flip me like a rag doll. I enjoyed the way he kept looking into my eyes as he thrusted his hips into mine, my legs wrapped around him, his hands supporting himself beside me on the mattress, my hands around his wrists. I enjoyed the way he kissed me, slowly and sensually, whenever my muscles were spasming around his dick.

This time, we didn't just fuck.

We made love.

* * *

"Is this really a good idea?" I asked for what felt like the millionth time as I chewed on my bottom lip. Christian ignored the nervous look I gave him, simply concentrating on the task to maneuver his truck.

He didn't answer me. I couldn't blame him since he had told me over and over again that he had no doubts about his decision and that I could trust him. I did trust him, I just didn't know if I could trust anyone else included in his plan.

I was quiet for a few seconds, only the song coming out of the stereo audible, before I bugged him again.

"I'm not even dressed properly." I said with a pout nodding down toward my outfit consisting of my dress from last night and his Lithium Springs t-shirt. He had insisted that I wear it over my dress, telling me that he loved the way I looked in his clothes.

"Or without any clothes." He had whispered into my ear before biting my earlobe gently, his fingers vanishing beneath the comforter on us, finding their way to my wet folds where they did their magic which could even make the smartest girls dumb. Being distracted by his fingers and his dirty talk, I totally failed to see his motives at first. Now that his fingers or his dick weren't anywhere near my crotch, I was finally able to see that he just wanted to show off that I was wearing one of his t-shirts, probably to scare away any other man who happened to be interested in me.

Christian was a rather jealous man I had found out. He didn't like it when other men starred at me for longer than three seconds, something he usually commented with a frown and thin lips. I tried not to have too much joy at the thought that he was being all possessive.

"You look beautiful." He commented honestly, reaching over to squeeze my knee gently. It was a miracle that i could still be aroused by a simple touch even though we had a sex marathon in the last few hours. My muscles were aching from exhaustion.

'Your ex looks hotter' I thought with a frown but I didn't dare to speak it out loud. I would rather eat a raw chicken instead of admitting that out loud.

Christian and I had prepared prepared our dinner around 4 in the afternoon - some pasta in the oven oven-baked with yummy cheese and for Ellie dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets -, thinking that we could heat them up after he picked up Ellie. Just when he he had been leaving to drive over to his ex wife's house, he suddenly turned around to face me. I had been sitting on his couch with silent anxiety bubbling in me, the boxers changed into sweats since I didn't want Ellie to see me in her father's underwear.

"Come with me." Christian had said with a stern voice, his brows furrowed as he thought about something. "To pick up Ellie, I mean."

I didn't know how he had managed to persuade me while I was practically freaking out at the thought of encountering Elena Lincoln ever again, but now I was sitting beside him in his truck on our way to his ex where his daughter, who had no idea about our relationship, was waiting for her daddy.

To say that I had questioned his decision was an understatement.

"Won't Ellie be surprised if she sees me suddenly?"

"Didn't we agree to tell her when we are at your place, her home and her safe haven?"

"What if she is angry?"

"Wouldn't you want to be at home when you talk with her?"

I asked all of these questions, but I didn't dare to ask the one I was aching to ask.

What would his ex do when she saw us together?

She had told me to stay away from her daughter and her ex, God knows why. And now I was rubbing salt into her wound by parading myself in front of her in Christian's clothes and to make matters worse I was also accompanying him to pick her daughter up as if we were a happy, little family. I couldn't stop asking myself if I was pushing my own luck, but the logical part of my brain - the part which was narrated by Andrea often times - told me to grow a pair, asking me who the hell Elena Lincoln was to decide over my life. Like Christian had said, if her real interest was solely Ellie's safety then she wouldn't have behaved like an immature bitch.

Like Christian had said, if her real interest was solely Ellie's safety then she wouldn't have behaved like an immature bitch. She should have consulted him directly instead of attacking me.

"We are right on time." Christian commented when he stopped his truck in front of a two story, dark gray house with white windows and doors. Elena Lincoln's wealth was visible in her house. She even had a swimming pool. Damn.

Timidly I watched Christian leave the car, unaware that I wasn't moving from my spot until he walked over to the black, elegant looking gates. He looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow, seeing that I was still seated in his car. I saw him sigh with an eye roll, a smile tugging at his lips before he walked over to my side of the car to open my door.

"What is it, Ana?" He asked with a concerned voice. I took a deep breath, looking at my hands on my lap.

"Don't you want to do this?" Christian sounded a little hurt.

"I do." I explained immediately, not wanting him to think that I doubted my decisions.

"I just.."

"You just what?" He asked, now kneeling a little forward, his dark copper waves falling to his forehead.

"I'm feeling nervous." I whispered, my guts clenching awkwardly. No matter how much the Andrea voice in my head scolded me, I couldn't stop being intimidated by his ex. Was it her wealth? Her looks? Her success? Or the fact that she had a child with him?

 _'Don't ve be crazy, girl. It's her behavior which is intimidating you. She is a bitch.'_

"About what?" Christian pushed, reaching for my hands now.

"About..." I gulped down hardly, looking up to his ex wife's house before I spoke. "About Elena."

There.

The truth was out.

"She makes me nervous, but not the good kind of nervous like you do. It's the bad kind of nervous." I said rapidly, feeling his intense stare on my face. I could probably hear him think 'what is she thinking'. To end his misery, I went on by stuttering my next words.

"I know we talked about her and I know you explained to me that she has no place in your life anymore and that I don't have to be scared of her or anything, but she is Ellie's mum and I think it would make our lives a lot easier if she didn't hate my guts because that's what I'm thinking. She seems to hate me. I don't know why, maybe she fears that I'm taking her place in Ellie's life which is ridiculous since I would never want to do that. She is Ellie's mother and I could never replace her. And now we are going to rub us under her nose as if we are trying to anger her and all of this right in front Ellie. I just don't want to cause any trouble." My throat felt extremely dry while my heart skipped a beat as I looked into his eyes, eyes that usually left me breathless but now they were starring at me motionless.

Christian clenched his jaw before he looked up at the sky with a tensed posture. He looked angry and I feared that I was in the receiving end of it. When he spoke I felt like I was being lectured by my father.

"Ana, you are not causing any trouble in my or Ellie's life. If Elena thinks otherwise she can talk with me about it like a mature human being. By deciding to play her stupid games and threatening you behind my back, she lost every ounce of credibility she had. This is her way of taking control, something she enjoys very much, but unlike what she thinks she has no right to control my life anymore. Don't let her doubt us, don't let her make decisions for us. Let's face her together and show her that no matter what she says or does, we won't give up."

It was fascinating how he knew to say the right words at the right time, something I wasn't famous for since I had a foot in my mouth often times, but Christian made it look like it was so easy. No wonder that it was also very easy to believe his words. He gave me the ensurance I needed.

I looked up at his encouraging smile and left the car to take his hand in mine. We weren't going to give up, he had said. I was ready to face whatever obstacle stood in our way.

Even if that obstacle was a breathtaking blonde woman.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to cheshire15 for this chapter ;)**

 **Did you catch the Lithium Springs reference? For those who don't know it's a band from one of my favourite fanfictions called "Lithium Springs". If you haven't read it yet go find it and read it.**

 **I cut the chapter off cause it was getting too long.**

 **Until next time**

 **Melii xoxo**


	20. Chapter 20

**Look who is back after what felt like ages to some :D**

 **Thanks for the love :-* (and the endless patience)**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 **20\. From mums and dads**

To my utter surprise, Elena hadn't become miraculously ugly since the last time I saw her. The childish part of my brain – which was also the reason for my weird fondness of watching cartoons – had hoped that she had grown a few pimples, maybe lost a tooth or got wrinkles even. But when she opened the door to her intimidatingly impressive house, I had to confess that she looked as splendid as usual.

 _Stupid bitch._

It was scary how I was calling her names just because she was groomed and had good genes, but rational thinking had left the building as soon as I saw her in her red and white summer dress, her green eyes widen with surprise as she took in the picture in front of her door – Christian and I holding hands, my upper body clothed with his favorite t-shirt. The afterglow of all the sex we had must have been visible on our faces because she arched an eyebrow as her eyes scanned us from head to toe.

I tried not to squirm underneath her stare, Christian's hand squeezed mine when he felt how I tensed.

"Hey." Elena let out coolly, her nude colored lips pursed with distaste as she crossed her arms at her chest. Thanks to her tight dress, I noticed that her boobs were smaller than mine, something that definitely improved my mood. Seemed like my obsession with Cheetos had an advantage after all.

"Is Ellie ready?" Christian asked with an austere expression, ignoring her greeting. I had wondered how these weekly meetings were for the both of them since their fight at the hospital had given me the illusion that they were always ready to rip each others head off. I could understood why Christian was angry with his ex. She had hurt his pride and broken his heart by cheating on him, after all. I just wasn't sure why Elena was equally angry at him. Did his anger cause hers or was hers caused by something he had done in the past?

As my head filled with new questions, Elena nodded with a tensed jaw, her eyes crossing mine again.

"I thought kindergarten starts on Monday." She muttered with squeezed eyes, her death stare making me feel small. I scolded myself immediately for that. With a high chin and a tried arrogant expression I tried to show her that her words left me unaffected.

"This is none of your business, Elena." Christian said coolly, surprising me since I had expected him to throw a tantrum. I squeezed his hand encouragingly, my skin tingling as his thumb brushed over the back of my hand in a tender gesture.

"Everything that concerns my daughter is my business." She simply said, her tone serious as if she was talking business. I tried to imagine her at work where she ruled over a multimillion dollar company. Mood killer.

"You will have to trust my decision on this. If I think that Ana isn't any kind of threat for my daughter, then you will have to try to trust me and if you still have doubts, you will have to speak about them with me instead of going behind my back." Christian said with furrowed brows, his breathing harsh. I suspected that he was trying to control his anger and in my opinion, he did a good job.

I felt ridiculous standing beside them as they talked about me as if I wasn't present, but I didn't feel like interfering since I clearly had no right to cause more trouble and by the way Elena looked at me, I was sure she was looking for trouble. My guts clenched at the thought of an ugly cat fight between me and her. Those heels on her feet looked too sharp, I was sure she could drill a hole into my head with them.

Elena sighed and rolled her eyes. Her eyelashes were long and thick kinda like these of a doll, I noticed with narrowed eyes. I wondered if they were real.

"Christian, we both know that you are only doing this because you think it affects me in any way. Don't mistake my worries for jealousy. There is nothing to be jealous of." She said with a plummy voice.

And _pang_ , she had hit me with a hot bullet straight through my pride. I was lying on the cold, hard ground with my fresh wound, her triumphant smile the only thing I could see, while blood leaked out of me, leaving an ugly stain on the floor. They could bury me here and put my tombstone right in front of Elena's door, maybe Ellie would leave me some flowers whenever she visited her mum.

 _What a huge, fucking bitch._

She was not only implying that Christian was doing everything he did because he cared about any reaction she had to give, she was also saying that I wasn't someone to be worried about as his romantic interest because, well because of what exactly? Because I didn't look like a photoshopped model? Because I didn't own as much as she did?

If Elena thought that these were things you could measure a human's worth with, then she was just a vain human being, representing everything that was wrong with our society.

Suddenly I felt like causing that afore mentioned trouble just because I would love to rip out every strand of stupid blonde hair out of her stupid head. Anger was good, I decided. Anger meant that I wouldn't back down. But anger was also something I was above of, I had to be the better and bigger person here, so I decided not to let it control my next words.

With flushing cheeks, for once not because of embarrassment, I pursed my lips as I scanned her from head to toe, going for an arrogant look myself. It was time to let her know that I had a backbone somewhere underneath all the shyness.

"You seemed pretty jealous at the hospital." I said firmly, feeling Christian's surprised look on my face. Crap. I hoped he wouldn't be angry at me for attacking his ex since he had tried to talk with her maturely.

Elena let out a laugh, looking at me with her eyes widen and her lips curled.

"She speaks." She commented mockingly. "Empty words, but still."

"Your threats felt emptier." I replied with raised eyebrows, my inner Andrea clapping proudly. The real Andrea would probably throw a party when she found out about my sudden bitchy outburst.

Elena squeezed her eyes as she regarded me with a thoughtful look, her chin going left and right as she moved her jaw. It was my turn to feel triumphant since I had managed to shut her up. With a 4th of July firework going on inside my guts, my small victory memorable, I turned toward Christian, totally ignoring Elena and her obviously confused and infuriated ass, my show over. I had nothing left to say to her, she wasn't something I should have to deal with at all.

"I'm waiting in the car, okay?" I said softly. His gray eyes took me in as he nodded, he was probably thinking that I was running away.

With a sigh and a silent prayer to the God above, I turned to Elena and gave her a polite smile, hoping I wouldn't stutter the next words.

"Have a nice day, Miss Lincoln." I said before I walked away with a triumphant smile on my face as I saw how her expression became impassive, her mouth shut because she had no answers to give. She certainly hadn't expected that, neither had I.

I heard how she told Christian that Ellie was upstairs and that he had to carry her downstairs before they vanished inside, the door closed firmly by Elena, I suspected. She was trying to give me a message, I was an outsider. I didn't let that sour my mood, though. I trusted Christian and I knew that nothing she did or said would change his mind about me.

As I waited for the return of my boyfriend and his daughter in his car, I internally applauded myself for my show today. I had managed to show Elena that I wasn't following her orders like she was used to, she had no right to give me ones after all, and that my place in Christian's life, therefore in Ellie's, was not her decision to make. It was clear that she was using Ellie as an excuse to interfere in Christian's life, blaming that she only wanted her daughter safe, but since I was no threat to Ellie in any way, that point was moot. Christian trusted me and Elena had to trust his judgment.

"Look who is here, princess." I heard through the car window which I had opened to get some fresh air while waiting for them.

Suddenly the car door of the backseat got opened and Christian's singsong voice was audible as he spoke to his daughter whom he put into her booster seat. I turned around in my seat to face a surprised looking Ellie with a smile on my face. Her Strawberry blonde hair was put into a ponytail and her sprained ankle was covered by a dark blue ankle brace. She had an appointment at her doctor tomorrow which would reveal her injuries and her attendance at kindergarten's fate. According to Christian she was eager to get back, missing her friends and me a lot. I was

"Miss Steele." She squealed, obviously delighted to see me.

"Hello, Ellie." I said, equally happy to see her, although feeling shy out of the blue. I had just managed to be as confident as I could be in front of her Medusa eyes mother, but here I was feeling shy because of a sweet, little girl.

"You came to pick me up?" Ellie asks with childish excitement visible on her pretty face. I nodded as Christian started the car. When the radio started playing, he immediately turned it off, probably not wanting to disturb my conversation with Ellie. From the corner of my eyes I could see him smiling to himself, obviously enjoying his daughter's reaction to me.

"Your father and I thought we could repeat our dinner from last time. Remember when we went to have food together?" I asked her with a smile of my own, feeling giddy when she squealed again. She looked like I had just declared we were celebrating her birthday twice a year now.

A cold wind blew through the open window, messing my hair so I had to close it. It was also getting too loud thanks to the wind blast, making it harder for me to hear Ellie's soft voice when she spoke.

"Are we having burgers?" She asked excitedly. "Can I have pop soda, daddy?"

"Sure, sweetheart." He answered, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he smiled at her through the rear view mirror.

Her question made me curiously raise my brows. Wasn't she going to ask why we were repeating our last date? I mean, the only reason why I went to have food with them the last time was because her father wanted to apologize for being late to pick her up – _yeah, tell yourself that, Ana._

 _We know that you were after his dick._

Once again she proved me that Christian was right about his daughter's priorities. Kids didn't question things, they didn't dig after tiny, little details like neurotic, nervous kindergarten teachers did. She was only focusing on the yummy food she was going to eat, with whom it didn't matter to her.

I felt more relieved now, although there was still so much to talk with Ellie. We still needed to tell her about her father's new dating life with me.

Said father was quick to answer his daughter's question as he sped through through the streets.

"We are going to eat at our house tonight, baby. Ana cooked pasta and nuggets for us. You like those, too, right? And I have pop soda for you, too." He told her, his voice making me turn my neck toward him. I tried not to stare at his hands around the steering wheel because they made me remember what those hands had done to me in the last few hours. A blush spread on my cheeks, heating up my whole face as an unexplainable shy embarrassment took in. I didn't know why I was feeling that way suddenly, maybe his daughter's presence made me feel embarrassed. It was a good thing she couldn't read my mind.

"The dinosaur shaped ones? I love those the most." Ellie said, wiggling in her seat as her father said yes.

"Thanks for cooking for us, Miss Steele." She added with a sing-song voice, making me giggle. Sometimes it was so easy to make kids happy.

The rest of our drive was rather uneventful, only Ellie babbling about her weekend with her mum. She told us about the bedtime story Elena had told her about an elephant who wanted to fly like his friends, the birds. Proudly Ellie pointed out that her mum had made up by herself and she thought it was her civic duty to share this awesome story with her classmates when she was back. Before I could ask her she told me all about her injury, how much it had hurt at first and how her Nana took care of it because she used to be a doctor. When I asked her if she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, she declined, telling me that she wanted to be fairy because they always helped the princesses in fairytale. I laughed at her words.

I took Ellie's pink backpack as Christian carried her inside after we parked his truck in front of their garage. Ellie smiled over her father's shoulder at me, her gray eyes as the ones of her father, as they walked in front of me toward the porch. I smiled back, only now realizing that this dinner was the first of many. From now on I would be in her life, even after she graduated from kindergarten in a few weeks. Hopefully she wouldn't be sick of me anytime soon, otherwise it would be a problem to hang out with her father.

"Finally home." Christian said as he unlocked the door for us, helping Ellie slip out of her shoe - she didn't wear one on her injured foot - as I closed the door behind us.

"You can place her backpack there. I will empty it later." Christian told me, nodding toward one of the shelves standing against the wall. I put the pink bag beside one pair of little sneakers, their color and their size giving away that they belonged to Ellie.

Christian declared that we all needed to wash our hands since we were going to have food soon, his tone lecturing but soft as he talked to his daughter. Dutifully I followed them to the bathroom where we washed our hands one after another, Ellie in Christian's arms as she hold her little hands under the running faucet, her tongue squeezed between her lips as she cleaned the spots between her fingers with soap. I watched Christian with his daughter in his arms, his patience visible on his face as he reminded her to rinse her hands thoroughly, my heart warming up at the cuteness in front of me. It was adorable how he cared for his daughter which was audible in the way he talked about her, but also visible in the way he helped her with something as simple as washing hands.

To say that his behavior made the butterflies in my guts flutter was an understatement.

"Your turn, Miss Steele." He winked at me with a grin on his lips as he made room for me in front of the sink. I bit my lips as a school girl giggle tried to leave me, washing my hands with a flushed face.

"You have to wash your hands from your wrists to your fingertips. That's how my Nana taught me. She said that's how doctors do it." Ellie chimed proudly. I followed her orders quickly, wanting to leave a good impression.

"Well done, Miss Steele." Christian commented with a smugness visible on his face, his tone mimicking his daughter's when he used the title she was calling me, as I dried my hands on a soft towel, my skin now smelling like what the soap bottle promised to be orchids. I liked it.

I rolled my eyes at Christian, he was enjoying himself immensely. I was nervous enough without him messing with me. The way he called me Miss Steele made me fantasize about student and teacher porn materials, something my dirty mind really, really liked.

 _Oak's voice echoed. "There is a time and place for everything, but not now*_

Everything went surprisingly well when we went to the kitchen where Christian made Ellie sit on a chair, her little head barely over the table counter, from where she watched us curiosity as we heated our food. She thanked me politely, being raised well, when I poured her favorite pop soda into a cup for her, her curious eyes on me making me nervous. She certainly knew how to give someone piercing looks, something she had gotten from her mum and dad equally.

I nearly spilled some of the beer Christian had offered me when Ellie blurted out her next question, the ping of the microwave following her words adding a hysterical effect to our situation.

"Miss Steele, why are you wearing my daddy's t-shirt?"

Immediately my eyes crossed with Christian's, my heart pumping furiously so I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. It was strangely typical for her to hit the nail right on the head after moments of suspicious peace.

"Umm.." I stuttered, the microwave beeping beside me for a second time as my face heated up. The yummy smell of our food had filled the kitchen, making my stomach grumble more than once.

Ellie's eyes were on me, her head tilted to one side as she regarded me with a curious look.

"I was cold." I said timidly as if she could see through my lie. Thank God, she was satisfied with my answer, a smile tugging at her lips.

"It's my daddy's favorite." She commented, her fingers playing with her ponytail as she spoke. "He always wears it when he goes to listen to music."

"Listen to music?" I asked with a tilted head while Christian chuckled lightly.

"When I go _Lithium Springs_ concert, she means. She can't remember the band's name." He told me with a loving smile toward his daughter.

Satisfied with the answer I got, I helped Christian with setting our table. Ellie clapped giddily when I placed her plate full of pasta and nuggets in front of her, immediately demanding her most beloved ketchyo. I laughed at her words while Christian scolded her with a stern voice.

"What is the magic word?" He asked his daughter with his hands at his hips and furrowed brows. She immediately blushed and mumbled an apology toward me.

"I'm sorry for being rude, Miss Steele. Can I have ketchyo, please?" Her tone made my knees weak while she pouted.

"I will get you ketchup and mayonnaise and then you can show me how to make ketchyo, okay?" I asked her eagerly, she nodded with a pleased expression. Christian directed me to the fridge - I tried not to remember the hot kiss we had shared against it the day Ellie injured herself - and soon Ellie and I were mixing ketchup and mayonnaise on her plate. She told me that we had to use the right amount, otherwise it would taste bad. Apparently, it was a science. I tried not to laugh at her concentrated face, it was just too cute.

"Ana, do you want some of Ellie's nuggets? They are dinosaur shaped." Christian asked me with a I-know-that-they-are-for-kids kind of look on his face. I giggled at his expression, nodding.

"Sure. I'm sure they taste good." I said with a shrug of my shoulders, turning my back toward him and concentrating on the simple task of putting some pasta on a plate.

Suddenly, Christian was standing right beside me, his breath on the skin of my throat as he looked over my shoulder to my shaking hands. I nearly let the spatula fall when he whispered into my ear, obvious to the fact that his daughter was happily munching on her nuggets. We were safe from her pinching eyes for now, her priorities lying on her plate in form of chicken nuggets.

"You taste better." Christian whispered roughly, before he kissed me right where my wild pulse was beating underneath my skin. My treacherous body reacted immediately, something tingly crawled up my spine putting each synapse of my body on fire. Holy crap.

My reactions to him were extreme, too intense for my own good.

The guy above had mercy with me since Christian stepped away immediately, taking the heated plate out of the microwave.

When we finally sat down with our meals in front of us, Ellie didn't wait long enough to ask her second embarrassing question, once again hitting the nail on the head. That girl certainly knew how to make one feel uncomfortable.

"Miss Steele, can I call you by your name? My daddy does." She pointed out with a ketchyo stain on the corner of her mouth. It was a good thing that Christian had put a pillow underneath her, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to eat properly since she wasn't tall enough to look completely over the edge of the table.

I gulped my food down, and exchanged another nervous look with Christian. He gave me an encouraging smile and hold his hand out toward me underneath the table. I grabbed it discreetly, biting my lip before I answered Ellie.

"Umm.. your father is my friend." I said, watching her nod in thought.

"Aren't we friends, too? We saw each other three times outside of kindergarten now." She backfired with a confident wiggle of her shoulders, smiling cockily. Crap.

Christian sighed as I started to feel anxious underneath his daughter's stare. He placed his beer onto the table after he took a sip.

"Listen, Ellie. Miss Steele and I are... special friends." He said matter-of-factly, waiting for his daughter's reaction. She furrowed her brows, looking back and forth between us.

"What does special friend mean, daddy?" Ellie asked with real interest on her face.

"You know how Barbie is Ken's special friend? They spend time together and talk to each other a lot." Christian explained to her softly. She licked her lips with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"You will spend more time with Miss Steele?" She asked, thinking to herself for a second. "That's okay."

I tried not to sigh out loud, a heavy pressure gone from my shoulders when those words left her mouth. Christian proudly smiled at his daughter, his hand squeezing mine.

"That means the three of us will also spend time together, Ellie. We can have dinner again or go to the park. Whatever you want to do." He went on, making her squeal excitedly.

"Can we have breakfast with pancakes, too?" She asked with widen eyes. I giggled at her excitement.

"Yes, sweetheart. Breakfast with pancakes, too. Even with Mickey Mouse pancakes." Christian said with a grin, once again squeezing my hand. I did my best not to jump up and down in my seat. Ellie seemed to have the same reaction, but unlike me she didn't suppress her giddy feeling. Her little body carefully danced in her spot.

"I love Mickey Mouse pancakes." She exclaimed, looking at me for approval.

"Me too." I said cheerfully.

"Can we have pancakes tomorrow morning, daddy? I want to have them before I go to the doctor. And can I go to kindergarten after I visit the doctor? I want to tell my friend Alice that Miss Steele is our special friend now." Ellie babbled, her food forgotten now that we were talking about kindergarten.

The mention of it made me tense again. It was my time to squeeze Christian's hand.

Christian didn't sound as tense as I felt when he spoke. In fact I would dare to say that he sounded even more excited now.

"I will make you some pancakes in the morning, sweetie. We will have to ask your doctor if you can go back to kindergarten. I know you are happy that Miss Steele is our friend now, but she is still your teacher. Don't forget that, okay? She is only your teacher there. If she treated you as her friend at kindergarten, your classmates would feel neglected. You understand that, right?"

I was impressed with how easily he spoke to her, explaining everything as if she was a grown-up but still simple enough for a kid. It was no wonder that he had been so confident with himself whenever I brought up Ellie's possible reaction to our relationship.

She hadn't reacted like I had expected, she wasn't confused or nervous about me being a member of her inner circle now. If anything she looked thrilled, more than thrilled, and was welcoming me like a long lost friend. Of course, we couldn't know how our future looked like. New conflicts could arouse, bringing all the small problems with itself. I hoped I was strong enough to face them all with Christian and Ellie by my side.

Ellie thought about her father's words, nodding to herself before she turned toward me with a huge smile. All the smiling should hurt, one would think. But as long as she had something to smile, I had no objections.

"Can I call you by your name outside of kindergarten?"

Her only concern seemed to be about my name.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to Suzecues for this chapter ;)**

 ***Pokemon reference: Professor Oak used to say that in the Pokemon games when the player tried to use the bicycle inside a house.**

 **Until next time**

 **Melii xoxo**


	21. Chapter 21

**Is this thing on?**

 **Can you hear / read me?**

 **Wow. It's been two months. How have you been? Thanks for the reviews and the patience since last time. I hope it won't take me another two months to update.**

 **Have fun.**

* * *

 **21\. From best friends and jealousy**

"Maybe we could get them graduation gowns and caps." Nicole proposed with a raised hand, earning an approving round of nods.

Leila, Nicole and I were sitting around the table in the stuffed conference room, which also was used for personal phone calls in the middle of the day by teachers frequently, with steaming cups of coffee and notes in front of us, our bodies' full of caffeine and our minds focused on our task to start planning the graduation at the end of this school year.

"That could be pretty expensive though. We don't have the budget and I would hate to ask the parents." Leila said with pursed lips.

"Andrea's mum is a seamstress. Maybe she could help us." Nicole said, her pen tapping against the table in a rhythmic way. I frowned, more because of the headache that was trying to squeeze its way into my head than her words.

"We can't have her make nearly 20 pairs of gowns and caps for free. That's hours of work she would have to invest." I said, reaching for my mug of yummy coffee. It was a good thing that I had let my kids outside to play a little early, otherwise we would have been forced to drink what Jose dared to call coffee. For a single guy who loved his daily dose of caffeine so much, you would think that he was remotely good at making coffee.

Andrea and Jose were nice enough to be, what Jose called, _the Guardians of the sandpit_ with all of our students running happily around them, swinging on the swings, playing inside the sandpit with little colorful shovels and buckets or playing hide and seek between the bushes. When Leila had announced that she wanted to talk to me and Nicole about the coming graduation of our students, Andrea had given us the stinky eye for letting her alone with the little monsters. Jose had promised her to be on her side all the time.

"She wouldn't have to make them for free, of course. Maybe just a discount since we are friends and colleagues with her daughter. Besides we could help her." Nicole looked at Leila with an optimistic expression, our boss pouting her dark purple colored lips as she thought about my colleague's words.

"I think I like the idea. In fact, we could even ask some of the parents for help and that way we could have a parent and teacher type of event." Leila mumbled before she gave me a questioning look.

"What do you think, Ana?" She asked with one raised eyebrow.

"We first have to speak with Andrea about it, but I like the idea, too." I confessed, seeing her visibly relax. I knew how much Leila hated to came up with ideas of her own, so she welcomed any proposal of us with great gratitude. Until now we had decided on the where – the kindergarten of course, the meadow around our playground was beautiful for a little barbecue afterwards – and that the kids should wear gowns and caps. There was still so much left to plan, like the activities we would offer that day. Leila had even asked us to brainstorm over the last couple of days but a certain _car doctor_ had kept me on my toes with his surprise visits and invitations.

I wasn't complaining though.

In the last week he had literally swept me off my feet with dinner dates, make out sessions at the movie where we definitely didn't watch what was going on screen, dirty texts during the day and breathy phone sex extravaganzas at night. During the week, it was hard for us to have our beloved sleepovers since I had been squirmy about spending a night at his place with Ellie next door. He hardly could leave her home alone and asking his mother to stay with his daughter while we had hot, intense, teeth clenchingly good sex at my place made me feel horrified. She would totally knew what we were doing if he was staying over the night, and even if it wasn't something we hadn't done before I still didn't need to know that she knew about me regularly fucking her son. Christian and I were not so patiently waiting for the weekend when Ellie was staying at her mum's place again. In fact, we were counting hours which made me feel terrible because I caught myself being happy about Ellie's absence. Damn you, Christian Grey. You and your penis have made me a selfish bitch.

"You would think as a kindergarten for the rich we would have more money." Leila groaned, taking me back to the now and then.

"It's graduation. We suffer through it each year and each year it turns out good. And what good do too expensive gowns anyway? It's not like the kids can wear them anytime. Next year this time they will have grown out of them." I tried to cheer her up, gently patting her arm.

"Maybe we should reuse them next year. You know, instead of giving them to the kids." Nicole suggested with a shrug.

"But it's an important memory. They should be able to have something that reminds them of these days." Leila whined, making me snort.

"Leila, you can't honestly expect them to remember their times at kindergarten when they are older. I mean, do you remember your kindergarten graduation? I don't think I had a graduation gown even. There was probably some cake one of the mothers made and that's about it." I joked, making her lips curl into a small smile.

"This is what we get for having a fancy clientele. Damn you, Mum." Leila cursed with furrowed brows. "If we were living in a small town, we wouldn't have these problems. Ladies, we need something to shut the cakeholes of these rich bitches. If we don't deliver they will eat us alive."

I rolled my eyes with a sigh. "If they want a fancy party they can throw it themselves or sponsor ours. It's not like they are paying us a fortune. We will do what we can with our sources and their help and I am sure the kids will love it. That's what matters, right? You said you wanted the kids to have an important memory, something they can remember."

"Thanks, Ana. You are too sweet." She smiled at me with a thankful expression on her face, sighing deeply before letting go off of her sad attitude. Leila was the master of mood changes, her poor exes could sing a song about it.

"Okay, okay, we got this. So, party at the meadow with barbecue afterward, gowns by Andrea's mum with the help of the parents. What about activities? I know it's only a few weeks left, but maybe we could write a small screen play for the kids. Ana, that's your thing, right?"

Oh dear.

* * *

After our meeting which ended in agreement on some things we still had to discuss with Andrea and Jose before we informed the parents, I made my way to the rest rooms where I took care of my human needs, my thoughts full of Leila's excitement about screen plays. She was convinced that I could either write something Shakespeare like myself or find something splendid because being a bookworm and a British Literature degree automatically made you a literary master mind. Shamelessly, I took advantage of the few private minutes I got at my job and took a look at my phone. A grin spread on my cheeks and my heart beat flipped when I noticed the new message from Christian.

 **What are you wearing today?**

 **\- C ;)**

I squealed, doing a little happy dance behind the closed doors of my cabin, before typing an answer to his text with from excitement shaking fingers. The things this man made me feel were unreal.

 **Wouldn't you like to know? You will have to wait and see ;)**

 **\- A x**

His answer didn't take long. I bit my lips at the thought of him waiting for my text, a silly thought because his days were usually too busy to wait with his phone in his hand.

 **Come on, sweetheart. You know I'm not patient. Take a picture.**

 **C**

Bam. I was shot with lust and my bleeding wound could only be healed by a certain Mr. Grey. I loved his tone, demanding but charming, and that bastard knew how to use it. Good thing he wasn't standing in front of me. My phone gave me power.

 **See you later ;)**

 **A**

When I made my way to the grounds, I couldn't stop grinning viciously. I loved our banter, him demanding things, me declining, or the other way around, and I was happy that we weren't one of these boring couples. We weren't bungee jumping or go-cart driving or anything what other people would call adventurous, but in our own way we were keeping things fresh. Sometimes with silly texts like this, other times with new restaurants we tried, and then a few times with new positions in bed – Christian liked the last one especially, his enthusiasm seemed to be endless. We had a routine, we had to have one because we had a child to think off, but the routine I had with Christian meant more to me than the excitement I had with my exes. Just sitting on a couch with him in each others arms with a silly movie on TV excited me more than any bungee jumping could do – my heart skipped beats, just to flutter unexpectedly while I was with him, just like jumping from a building while only being attached to a rode would do.

I knew these feelings had a meaning, and I knew what they meant, but I wasn't ready to think about it yet. The thought of jumping into a conclusion too early was terrifying, I wanted to test waters first. All that counted was that we were happy.

"There you are. You totally had phone sex with the hot daddy, right? You ho. I knew it. That's why it took you so long." Andrea said with her hands at her hips when I found her at a bench where Nicole was sitting on. I rolled my eyes at my friend's words, she loved to be theatrical.

"Why would I have phone sex with him at the restrooms of my work place?" I asked, taking a seat beside Nicole who was grinning at our banter.

Andrea huffed.

"Why wouldn't you? He is hot." She said, crossing her arms at her chest. "Leila would have no problem with it."

"What is it about you guys' weird fascination with my boyfriend?" I asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You guys are our OTP." Nicole said with a shrug while Andrea nodded in approval.

"How old are you again? OTP." I said underneath my breath, shaking my head.

"Since I am single right now, I need to get my fix from somewhere. Romance is my fix, baby. Especially sexy romance. And Christian and you are sexy romance." Andrea explained to me matter-of-factly. "So, unless I find a boyfriend this very second, you will have to endure our, as you called, weird fascination with your boyfriend. Beside we are not the only ones who are weirdly fascinated by him. He has a full mommy fan club."

"Don't remind me. They have visibly changed their behavior toward me even without knowing we are dating." I groaned at the reminded of the cold looks I got from certain mum's and even from a dad.

"Fuck those bitches." Andrea whispered as a loud gang of children ran past us, considered enough not to curse out loud near innocent eyes. "They are just jealous."

"They probably saw you when you went out, though. I am sure they have at least heard about you having dates with the hot, single dad. Words get around, you know." Nicole said softly, making me squirm. What had I expected? A public announcement that we were dating read by Leila in front of all parents like kingdoms did with their folk? Christian and I were still acting like we had nothing but a teacher – parent relationship whenever he came to pick Ellie up in front of the other parents, but outside of kindergarten we were nothing like that. Crap. I didn't want to imagine what the parents thought of me, a hussie who flirts the dads of her students. Or worse. God.

"Don't freak out. It's not like you are breaking a law. You have the permission of your boss, so don't be bothered of jealous bitches." Andrea said when she saw how I visibly freaked out internally. That woman could read me so well, it was scary.

"Easier said than done." I muttered, the topic ended when Nicole announced that she had to use the restrooms. There was not much left of the day, an hour before the kids would be released to meet their parents. Andrea tried to drag me to the swings where Jose was helping a few kids, but I declined and decided to stay at the sandpit. Last time we left the kids there alone, someone tried to eat a handful of sand. I didn't need a repetition of that.

Just when I was standing up after Andrea went away, I saw what was happening inside the sandpit. Nobody was eating any sand thank God, but the image in front of my eyes made me arch an eye brow with confusion spreading through my body.

Surrounded by wobbly sandcastles with flowers as flags on the tips of their crooked towers, the two children were standing in the middle with their hands grasping each others, their friends with grinning faces standing around them, the little ceremony right in the middle of the sandpit. Their usual toys were laying neglected at the side, their concentration on something far more important.

"What the hell." I muttered underneath my breath feeling confused, starring left and right to see if one of my colleagues were seeing what I was seeing, too. Andrea and Jose were helping a few kids at the swings and Nicole, who seemed to be back from the restrooms, was attending a girl's boo boo who must have fallen down while playing hide and seek. It seemed like I was the only one witnessing the weird occasion.

The kids standing around Ellie and Roman, a boy her age from Nicole's class, clapped as those two hugged, my confusion reaching its peek. There was nothing wrong with them hugging each other, but the surrealism of the image in front of me was more caused by the ensemble the kids had created for what seemed like a normal hug.

I would even dare to say that it looked like a fake wedding ceremony.

 _Please don't let it be a fake wedding ceremony._

My eyebrows reached my forehead as Ellie tenderly kissed Roman on his blushed cheek, the girls standing around them squealing in awe. Eventually my shock was replaced by my sense of duty and I made my way toward the little celebration, its participants slowly scooting away from the crime scene, leaving Roman and Ellie alone who were holding hands now. The blonde girl grinned widely when she saw me approaching them.

"Hey, kids." I greeted them tenderly, not wanting to scare them away.

"Look, Miss Steele. We are best friends now." Ellie squealed, ranking their hands up so I could see how her little fingers were intertwined with Roman's.

 _Best friends. I didn't know you needed a wedding ceremony for being best friends._ I thought to myself. Ellie was quick to explain, though.

"Last year, my mum's cousin got a best friend, too. She wore a white dress that day and they swore to be together forever. Roman and I want to be best friends forever, too. Look, my t-shirt is white. I wanted to wear a dress, but Daddy said I had no white dress." She babbled, her excitement embarrassing poor Roman who blushed when our eyes crossed. I felt as overwhelmed as him, but Ellie wasn't bothered about that.

"Maybe Nana will buy me one. I want a pretty white dress like a princess. Do you like white dresses, Ms. Steele? My dad says you look beautiful all the time. I am sure you would even look more beautiful in a white dress."

"Um. Thanks, Ellie. Yes, dresses can be pretty and I am sure you will look pretty in a white one." I mumbled, nodding toward the sandcastles.

"Did you make those?" I asked, desperate for a topic change because the thought of wearing _the_ white dress was something I didn't want to think about now. Ellie shook her head with pouting lips.

"I didn't make any sandcastles today. Oh. Roman and I could make a best friend sandcastle. Roman, will you help me?" She asked her best friend who nodded excitedly. They didn't bother talking to me anymore, their attention now on making their best friend castle, as they called it. I tried not to feel hurt when a building made out of sand became more important than me, but I was happy that shy Roman had a good friend now. From Nicole I knew that he was more of a silent type kinda like Josh. Ellie had managed to get both of these shy guys out of their shells. She was a wild social butterfly.

I wondered what Christian would say to her new friendship.

* * *

"Look at what Mrs. Price is wearing. She looks like a fashion faux pas from the 80's."

"Andrea. Shh." I warned my friend with a frown on my face as we stood side by side saying our daily goodbye to our students and their mums and dads. I waved after little Alice and put on a smile for her so she didn't mistake my frown for being caused by her – although she had really pushed my buttons today when she started drawing inside one of the story books we had in our classroom. Thank God, said book was saved from her colorful Picasso moment with the beginning of lunch time.

"Is it my fault that she is wearing blue eyeshadow up to her eyebrows?" Andrea whispered to me, brushing over her blue sleeveless shirt. It was a pleasantly warm day with the sun high on the horizon, only a few clouds trying to hide it. I had listened to the weather forecast a few days ago, taking notes so I could pick up the right outfit to wear in the next couple of days. Today I had dared to wear a skirt – usually something risky because little kids loved to surprise hug your legs and a skirt could give their innocent eyes a show of your daily underwear if you weren't careful -, feeling confident in my skin and especially in my shaved legs.

"What are you girls gossiping about?" Suddenly Jose was standing behind us, craning his head over our shoulders so he could listen to our words, his hand at the small of my back.

"Andrea is playing fashion police." I said with an eye roll, earning a whispered _bitch_ from said woman beside me. I tried not to grin when she crossed her arms at her chest in a juvenile way.

"It is about Mrs. Price, isn't it? I swear, the second I saw her I knew A's fashion senses would be alarmed." Jose chuckled, moving to stand on my left now, his arm brushing mine in the process. Unobtrusively I stepped away from him, careful not to bump against Andrea in the process.

"Even Jose knows what I am talking about. You have to agree that it looks ridiculous." Andrea said accusingly, her blonde hair bobbing as she turned her head toward me. I sighed, feeling too exhausted to argue with her. I just wanted to go home, take a shower, eat some leftovers and fall asleep before 9am on my couch.

"Leila isn't paying us to gossip." I said dryly, my eyes scanning the sea of heads in front of me. I felt how Jose tugged at my sleeve, his tone worried as he spoke.

"Everything alright, Ana?" He asked, his eyes burning holes into my face.

Andrea snorted, smacking her lips.

"I know why she is being so moody. She missed the hot daddy the whole day." She said mockingly, unfortunately hitting the nail right on the head. Damn her and her hawk eyes.

"Not everything has to be about him." Jose snapped a little too furiously, making me remember Andrea's words from a few weeks ago. Apparently he had a crush on me, his sour tone at the mention of Christian only strengthening that statement. I tried not to be awkward around him but it was impossible not to think about his feelings for me while I had nothing but friendship to give. I didn't know if I should be angry at Andrea for making me feel like a miserable friend or if I should be thankful for making me rethink my decisions about Jose. I tried not to be overly friendly in order not to give him false hope, making sure that he still knew that we were great friends – friends only. I was even contemplating talking to him but something told me that it would embarrass him to the ground.

"The way he looks everything should be about him, dude." Andrea chuckled, making me roll my eyes at her. My friends – except Jose – were all Team Christian.

"And men are blamed to be superficial. You girls are worse." Jose muttered, making me feel sorry for the whole conversation. It must have been awkward for him to talk about my new boyfriend while he had the hots for me.

"Don't worry, J. Not all women are like that." I said with a small smile, bumping his shoulder with mine.

"Women like you make me trust that, Ana Bear." He said, his teeth visible as he grinned. I wondered how I had never noticed the way he looked at me before, his look something between loving and mocking, a smile only reserved for me on his lips and his voice soothing and alluring at the same time.

Thinking that he stared at me a little too intently, I blushed heavily and looked away, my guts clenching at the feeling of embarrassment and guilt, his words only worsening it.

"What are you trying to say, Rodriguez? Do I take your faith in humanity from you?" I heard Andrea snap, her tone pissed, just when my eyes crossed with an intense pair of gray ones, their owner standing only a few feet away from me with his little daughter babbling about her day at kindergarten. I hadn't see him arrive thanks to Andrea and Jose, but now that he was here, I felt like a firework had started inside me, my mood lifted up.

I smiled brightly at him, surprised when I only got a barely visible curl of his lips which didn't reach his eyes. Frowning at him, I looked around quickly to see if anybody was watching our exchange, happy to find out that only Andrea's hawk eyes were watching us. I admired how she could argue with Jose while still paying attention to us.

The mum's and dad's of _Mrs. Williams'_ were intently trying to listen to their excited kids words', feigning attention to their stories about their daily activities while trying to make them say goodbye to their friends faster so they could go home. Christian's fan club, the chic ladies of Bellevue, were ogling him with puckered lips and glistening eyes. The ugly feeling of jealousy tried to rose in me, but I suppressed it like the rational person I sometimes could be because there was no need to be jealous. Christian had only eyes for me, especially when I was wearing nothing but his favorite t-shirt.

"You know what, Jose? I won't hook up you up with one of my friends anymore. Next time a good looking friend of mine is visiting, I won't introduce you to her." Andrea said with a flip of her hair, turning away from him, the conversation obviously had ended for her. She had far more interesting things to talk.

"Your _daddy_ is watching you." She whispered to me, her smugness audible in her voice. I grimaced at her words.

"Ew. That sounds so dirty." I scolded her, barely hearing Jose snort underneath his breath, but he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut.

"No kink shaming, Ana Bear. Some people are into that kind of stuff." Andrea giggled, once again making me roll my eyes. I didn't understand why she was insisting on talking about anything that remotely inappropriate at our job, but I had other stuff to think about anyway. For example Christian's frown.

"Look, daddy. There is Miss Steele." Suddenly Ellie's excited voice was loud enough to be heard by everybody, all heads turning to the waving girl whose gray eyes were looking into my direction. It was impossible not to smile at her excitement as I waved back.

Ellie was officially back since her doctor's appointment last week, something she was immensely happy about. The first day after her two weeks break, she was welcomed by her classmates with applause and cheers, they had even persuaded me to allow them to hang up the pictures they had drawn for her in our classroom – now the left wall was full of pictures of a blonde girl with a boo boo on her ankle, usually this spot was reserved for the weekly masterpieces of my students featuring different sketches.

Her latest injury hadn't changed Ellie's persona and behavior at kindergarten. She was sweet as usual, never breaking any rules, only a little bit cranky when she wasn't allowed to play some games her classmates liked to play, anything that could hurt her newly healed injury. I had feared that my relationship with her father would confuse her since we saw each other every day at school where I was only her teacher, but Ellie, God bless her soul, hadn't lost a word about it.

After our dinner on last Sunday, we hadn't spend time together the three of us, but from Christian I knew that they were talking nonchalantly about me, the mention of my name always putting on a smile on his daughter's face. Christian had been right about his daughter's maturity, she could understand more than I had expected from someone her age.

"Just go say hi to your bae." Andrea whispered to me, taking me back to the now and then.

My heart fluttered with joy as I made my way toward my boyfriend, or bae as Andrea had called him being the teenager by heart that she was, my face blushed with embarrassment since all eyes were on me and my short skirt. Dammit. I should have worn something else. God knew what those spiteful ladies were thinking, they had already announced their disapproval of me being friendly with Christian by giving me only cold nods instead of the polite smiles the other teachers got.

"Hi." I greeted them with a shy smile, Ellie hugging my leg as a greeting. I patted her head, careful not to give her a view of my forest green panties, my eyes on her father's face who looked at me with an impassive expression, his eyes empty. I frowned at him, trying to pay attention to Ellie's babbling.

"Miss Steele, did you see the sandcastle I made today? Wasn't it pretty? I will make another one tomorrow. Maybe I will even make sand cookies but I won't eat them because they are not real." She said, her arms gesturing wildly when she had let go off me, her little face featuring the ambition she felt concerning her big plans for tomorrow.

I laughed as I spoke.

"Yes, it was beautiful, Ellie. I will help you bake those sand cookies tomorrow, okay? Maybe we can even bake a sand cake."

Her eyes widen as she looked at me with awe.

"A sand cake. Oh that would be awesome. Can we make sand brownies and muffins, too? A whole bakery made out of sand?" She asked, not waiting for my answer as she turned around to look for her friend.

"Maggie, Miss Steele will bake sand stuff with us tomorrow." She cried out, making red-haired Maggie look toward her with an 'O' shaped mouth. She let go off her mother's hand and tugged at her pigtails, obviously thrilled to hear the fascinating news. Ellie ran off toward her friend, her father and me forgotten as she talked to Maggie. I giggled at their behavior before I turned toward the suspiciously silent boyfriend of mine.

"It's good to see you, Miss Steele." He greeted me with a polite smile before adding his next words with a hushed voice so I was the only one who could hear him. "Especially in a skirt like this."

There was it. The flirting, the hushed whispers, everything I loved and missed so much. It was certainly better than the frowns he had been giving me today, I had no idea what had caused them.

"It's good to see you, too, Mr. Grey." I batted my eyelashes at him with a crooked grin, resisting the urge to push out my boobs which looked admittedly good in my tight shirt. He noticed quick enough since his eyes darted toward them more than once.

"Although I have to confess that your frowns are not good to see." I added nonchalantly, fully aware of the looks his fan club was given us. I felt their stares burning a hole into my head, knowing well that they probably hated me right now. Andrea always liked to joke that those lusty hens were probably vodooing me whenever they saw me talking to the hot daddy. She also liked to point out that it would explain my weird behavior. I had no idea what she was talking about, I could proudly state that I had gotten less weird since I started dating Christian Grey. He literally fucked my weirdness out of me whenever he could, even enduring my sudden bursts of giggles whenever I remembered something funny in the middle of having sex. By now Christian knew that my head was a weird place, so he didn't question me and my giggles.

"My frowns weren't addressed directly at you. Just the whole situation in general." Christian said, stroking the nape of his neck before crossing his arms at his chest. I frowned at his distressed looking posture, tilting my head.

"What situation?" I asked, watching him sigh. He looked around before he stepped a little closer toward me. Suddenly the sun wasn't the only thing that turned up the heat of my body.

"This situation." He whispered as I flushed, his minty breath brushing over my face. "Our situation."

"What about it?" I asked, stepping one step back so we didn't look too cozy with each other.

"Well the fact that I can't kiss you or even hold your hand now." He muttered with a longing expression on his pretty face.

"I am at work. We can't kiss while I am at work." I said with a dry throat, feeling all eyes on us. I tried to ignore them, my boyfriend was talking too weird to be concerned with anyone else right now.

"Kissing might be more of an impulsive example because I am dying to kiss you right now, but what I was trying to say is that we have to pretend to be something we are clearly not."

"What are you trying to say, Christian?" I asked with a stern look, now getting tired of him beating around the bush.

"Friends. You can be friends with Mr. Rodriguez in front of the other parents, but not with me?" He asked brusquely, something about his tone making me frown. I didn't like how he pronounced Jose's name.

"Mr. Rodriguez is my colleague at work and friend in my private life. Beside being friends with him in front of parents isn't a capital felony, is it?"

"But being friends with me is?" Christian arched an eyebrow. I huffed, shaking my head.

"It wouldn't be if we were friends. I think it is easy to say that we are more than friends." I stepped away from him slowly, seeing how he clenched his jaw. I didn't understand what he was trying to say or what he was implying, and mostly I didn't like how he made it sound like being friends with a male colleague was taboo. Taboo according to who? The other parents or my jealous boyfriend?

"Oh, I know we are more than friends. It's one of the reasons why I want everyone else to know. My daughter knows, your boss does. So why not everyone else?" He tilted his head, waiting for an answer from me. I blushed as I tried to find the right words.

"Um. Because... Christian, I don't know how to do this, okay? The whole telling the parents thing." I stuttered, biting my lip as he smiled softly.

"We wouldn't have to tell them. You could just let me hold your hand now and they would know. We don't have to give them an explanation, for God's sake. Just show them." He whispered encouragingly, my resistance crumbling. When he was saying words like this, caring about others was immensely hard. He was right, we had told his daughter and my boss, the only people whom we had to care about, so why not the rest? Because they would hate me? Because they would think that I am a hussie?

They already did that. They already had made assumptions. And like he had said we didn't need to give them an explanation.

"Now?" I whispered, feeling a thrill going through my body.

"Now or never." He nodded, licking his lips. I looked around for a last time, seeing the nosy eyes watching us, seeing my friends who were grinning suspiciously as they tried to look anywhere but at us.

"Okay." I sighed, my palms sweating as I slowly reached toward his, grasping them gently. His skin felt as rough and warm as always, his proud smile making my heart flutter as I stepped a little closer to him.

"Are they staring at us?" I whispered, terrified to speak louder since I felt like this moment would be ruined. Gray eyes were flashing at me, a sweet smile encouraging me.

"Even if they are, who cares?" He whispered back. "We are just a couple who is holding hands so everybody knows that we are a couple."

I giggled.

"We are weird. Who holds hands as a public relationship announcement?"

"I mean, we could kiss if you don't like holding hands. I am all for kissing." Christian joked with a raise of his brows, making me flush.

"There are kids around. I would hate to make my students see me make out." I hushed, imagining their reactions. Kids were usually disgusted with kissing.

"Too bad. We can kiss later, of course. For now this is more than enough." He said, his eyes hushing to the left where my friends were standing. I saw a satisfied grin tugging at his lips, his eyes giving him away. One look toward my friends only strengthened my assumption. While Andrea and Nicole were celebrating silently, Jose looked like somebody had pissed on his parade, his arms crossed at his chest, his body turned away from us.

"You are such a jerk. You know that, right?" I hissed at Christian, feeling sorry for Jose. I hadn't thought about him when Christian had persuaded me to hold hands, his smiles too distracting to be a supportive friend. Christian shrugged non apologetically, feeling too smug to care.

"I need to scare off any potential rivals. It's obvious he likes you, but I like you, too. What I don't like is sharing or other men starring a little too intently at my girlfriend."

"Still, there was no need to put on a show for him. Jose knows you are my boyfriend. He would never cross a line." I said as I let go off his hands, my eyes instinctively looking around. I didn't know what I had expected to happen when we finally hold hands in public, maybe a theatrical gasp, maybe someone fainting with shock, maybe even an angel chorus singing a blessing song, and definitely toxic looks from some mums. Jealousy didn't look good on anybody, not even on my hot boyfriend.

"Well, sweetheart, better safe than sorry. You look too pretty in this skirt to be sorry." Christian said with a flirty wink, his wink combined with his cologne bewitching my mind. Damn him.

"You want me only because I look pretty?" I asked sulkily, watching him smile.

"I want you because you make my whole life prettier."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to Nataly29 for this chapter ;)**

 **You all make my life prettier :-***

 **Until next time**

 **Melii xoxo**

 **P.S. At my Milo boo, yes I cut the lemon. How evil of me :D**


	22. Chapter 22

**Meli is back within a week. Be proud :)**

 **Personally speaking I don't like this chapter and how it turned out, but I guess it will have to work this way. Have fun.**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **22\. From wisdom and knowledge**

 **Elliott is so hot. I think I want to have his babies.**

 **\- A**

I read Andrea's word with a raised eye brow, placing the lipstick I was holding on my dresser. One look into the mirror showed me that my lips were painted in dark rose perfectly without a smudge, making me smile pleased with myself.

 **Dude. He is Kate's boyfriend. Stop ogling our boyfriends.**

 **\- Ana**

It had been around noon on this heavenly warm Friday when Kate had texted Andrea, informing her about a new band performing at her boyfriend's bar. The event itself was so exclusive that most tables were booked, but Kate had made sure to get us a table. She had insisted us to come, personally inviting Christian even because she wanted to introduce him to her new boyfriend, a guy she had met on a girl's night out with her roommates. After a quick text exchange between me and Christian the plan was settled, Friday night was going to be spend at Elliott's bar with drinks and friends.

 **I didn't say I want him to impregnate me. I said I want his babies. So if Kate and he ever have any extra babies, I will gladly take them.**

 **\- A**

I rolled my eyes at Andrea's words, she had obviously started the night early with drinks, and I wondered what kind of embarrassment was awaiting me in form of a pretty woman with a blonde bob.

 **You are weird. And drunk probably. Have you started partying already?**

 **\- Ana**

Her answer came when I was putting on my loop earrings. They glistened whenever the light touched their edges. I even had put on a nice dress which I had bought with last weeks payment, thinking that I deserved a pretty dress for my hard work. It was either a dress or some fancy chocolate and wine.

 **And you are late. Hurry up. Of course we are drinking already.**

 **\- A**

One look at my clock on my nightstand showed me that it now a little after 9pm, we had agreed to meet around 9. My chauffeur of tonight, my cute boyfriend, had texted me around 8pm, telling me that he was going to run late because his stupid ex wife had insisted on a last minute meeting regarding Ellie's future. He had been just dropping her off at Elena's when said blonde venom had invited him in with brochures of possible schools behind her back and probably an evil smile on her face. It wasn't like I didn't trust Christian to spend time with his ex wife, especially if it was about his daughter, but that woman generally put me off, bringing out the worst in me: the jealous monster. I never nagged about it, smiling politely or staying impassive whenever her name was mentioned – usually more by Ellie than Christian -, but internally she was peeing acid on every single one of my nerves. I wondered if it was just about her rude behavior toward me, thinking that it probably had to do a lot with Christian, too. I was turning into a possessive mess, kinda like him.

 **Christian is running late. I am waiting for him to pick me up.**

 **\- Ana**

Feeling a little bit hungry, I decided to have a little snack while waiting for Christian even though I had had dinner just two hours ago. Some dry pretzels wouldn't kill me, especially if I gulped them down with sparkling water, I thought making my way to my small kitchen. While I was absently nibbling on the salty crust of a pretzel, my eyes landed on the little, orange post it note hanging on the surface of my fridge where I had scribbled something with my crooked handwriting. _Call Ray_ was written in bold letters, twice underlined, making me curse silently because I had once again forgotten to call my father. I couldn't even remember the last time we had talked which was rather sad. Knowing Ray he was probably freaking out, but thinking that my silence meant that I needed some time for myself he was probably trying to be understanding. I looked at my watch, contemplating calling him now, but the thought to hang up quickly after weeks of silence made me feel queasy, so I promised myself to call him tomorrow morning.

My phone buzzed on the kitchen counter, making me place my bags of pretzels beside it. Crap. I would have to reapply my lipstick now.

 **Take a cab and tell him to come straight to the bar. Vite, vite!**

 **\- A**

Thinking that it was a good idea, I quickly texted her that I was on my way, before I texted Christian to inform him about my new plan. It was silly to spend time waiting for him at home while I was completely capable to get to the bar myself, God knew how long his meeting with Elena would take. After I called myself a cab which would be at my place in 10 minutes, I went to my bathroom to rinse my mouth from any left over pretzels and reapplied my lipstick in my bedroom, before I gave myself a last look in the mirror. My white dress was sleeveless with an A type skirt dangling around my thighs. The nude colored sandals I was wearing had straps around my ankles with a little flower, the heels of them only 2inch because this girl certainly wasn't capable to walk in something higher. Seeing that I had played with my hair in boredom too much in the last hour, I decided to brush through it a last time before I got my purse and went downstairs.

In the cab I got a text from Christian, saying that he was going to be at the bar as soon as possible and that he couldn't wait to see me, which made me grin stupidly. Not wanting the cab driver to think that I was bonkers or flirting with him, I quickly collected myself and tried to distract myself with a quick game of Solitaire on my phone. My game was interrupted when the car stopped in front of a dark, square building with posters attached to most of the front wall, a grim looking bouncer waiting at the dark blue door with his arms crossed at his muscular chest. A line of busily talking people was waiting to get inside, thanks to Elliott I wouldn't be one of them because he had told Kate to tell us just to give his name to the bouncer so we could get in. I blushed heavily as people boohed at me when I was given entrance by the stern bouncer whom I thanked quickly.

Inside I was greeted by booming voices of talking people and the clinking of bottles and glasses, rowdies were setting up the stage, the gig not planned before 10pm. I found my friends via Andrea's loud laugh which I would recognize from miles away. Andrea, Kate, Jose and a guy who could only be Elliott were sitting around a large, round table with leather cushioned chairs, a round of half way finished drinks standing in front of them. Someone, and I suspected it was Kate since she loved those, had eaten a dozen of peanuts which were served in small bowls, their remains displayed on a spread napkin.

"Ana bear!" She screamed when she saw me approaching them, standing up to greet me. She was wearing light jeans with a yellow top, her feet in nice and high peep toes. I rolled my eyes at her words while the rest of the gang giggled, Jose's nickname for me sticking like glue.

"Hey." I said into her neck as we hugged, her perfume tickling my nostrils.

"Hey, Ana." Kate was next to hug me, her feminine curves clothed with a light, red dress which reached her ankles. She didn't let go off my hand when I ended our hug, tugging me toward the man who was standing beside her. Elliott was at least 3 heads taller than me with bulky muscles hidden underneath his completely black outfit, only his cute little boy grin and his angelic dark blonde curls making him look harmless.

"Ana, this is Elliott. You guys finally get to meet." She squealed as her new boyfriend and I shook hands. His smile was dazzling, I could totally understand why Andrea was so fascinated with any potential babies he could have.

"Finally I get to put a pretty face on the name. Kate is talking non stop about you guys." Elliott said, shaking my hand firmly.

"She is talking non stop about you, too." I said with a smile, liking the way he talked. He didn't make it sound like he was being only polite, there was a deep honesty hidden in his brown eyes. I liked the first impression.

Elliott offered me his seat after I greeted Jose with a hug, asking me where my companion was – plus points for not assuming that Christian is my boyfriend, his politeness was a nice change – as I sat down on his chair beside Kate. I explained them that Christian was on his way, only late because he had to drop off his daughter at his ex wife. Thankfully, Andrea had been too busy starring at the rowdies on stage to comment, I didn't think any comment coming from her about Elena would have been safe in public. Jose was nice enough to get me a drink, following Elliott to the bar where a quick bartender was attending customers. As soon as the men were gone, the girls started their squeals and confessions, nearly deafening me in the process.

"Did you see his smile? You have to notice it. It is devilishly sexy and cute at the same time. How is that possible?" Kate babbled, sighing deeply. I grinned at her obvious crush, even daring to say that she was falling for him already. She was wearing her heart in her sleeve.

"Elliott seems really nice, Kate. And yes, his smile is cute." I nodded approvingly, watching said man talk to one of the waitresses. From Kate I already knew that he was born and raised from Seattle, his parents had moved to Nebraska after he and his sister had graduated from college and that he had a degree from a fancy art academy. He was always drawing sketches of things around him, his new found muse the blonde girl beside me, but even though he was an artist of passion, he had quickly found out that the entertainment business was more his thing. His bar was celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, the business booming with each new wave of college students enrolling at Seattle's colleges. The occasional concerts he organized were the cherry on top.

"Do you see that drawing?" She asked me, pointing to a wall where sketches of people were drawn on the brick wall with bright colors. A man with a cowboy hat and a cigarette tugged behind his ear, a girl with dreadlocks and a nose piercing, a bald man with a thick red mustache whose eyes had different colors and a woman with surprisingly big lips which had the color of red wine were among them. The last one near the stage was a breathtaking blonde with bright green eyes, a clear face and a mesmerizing smile. Somehow she looked familiar and at a second look, I saw that she resembled Kate. As if she was reading my mind, she nodded with a proud smile while looking at my surprised face.

"Yup. That's me. He draws pictures of people who inspire him on that wall, the wall of fame so to say. A few days ago he asked me to pose for him and last night he finished it. Don't I look fabulous? He sure knows how to use his brush." She sighed again with a dreamy expression on her face, her words making me and Andrea laugh out loud. Kate furrowed her brows, it took her a few seconds to realize what she had said, before she started giggling with reddened cheeks.

"I meant it. He knows how to use his _brush_." She said with a wink, whispering the last word seductively. "In fact after he was finished with painting last night, we did it against the painting of red mustache dude."

"So you had a threesome with Elliott and red mustache dude?" Andrea said with from excitement shining cheeks. Annoyed with her pun, Kate threw an empty peanut shell toward us, her lips a thin line.

"Ha ha ha. It was hot, okay? I came three times." She whispered, crossing her arms at her chest. Andrea laughed again, even I couldn't stop giggling although I hated making fun of people.

"I bet. A threesome with Elliott and a mustache sounds hot." Andrea joked, taking a sip of her cocktail. My throat felt dry when I saw her drink, making me wonder where Jose was. One look toward the bar showed me that he was waiting for the bartender to take his order. It was nice of him to get me my drink, he always did that for us ladies being the good friend that he was.

 _See, Christian? Jose is a nice friend._

I was wondering what my irresponsibly jealous boyfriend would say when he found out that Jose had joined us tonight. I suspected that his show from yesterday afternoon would continue, the thought make me roll my eyes. Christian was insisting that Jose needed to know his boundaries, in a testosterone loaded way my boyfriend wanted to make sure nobody dared to hunt in his territory, therefore he was determined to scare away any potentially in me interested men with his _we-are-a-couple-and-we-are-so-happy-with-each-other_ show. I still thought that it was ridiculous to do something like that as long as I didn't show any interest in anyone else and Jose had never shown visible interest in me, there was nothing to be paranoid about. Christian had said that until now I had been single so Jose had nothing to be afraid off, but with him in the picture things were meant to change. He bet that Jose would step out of line soon, the thought of somebody else having me would drive him mad.

Idiotic, mad, sexy know-it-all.

Half an hour later, I was sipping on my drink, listening to Elliott who was telling me about his childhood and his parents, when I felt my phone buzz in my purse. I excused myself before I checked it and found a new text from Christian.

 **Sorry. I put Ellie to bed, she wanted me to read a story. I will be there in 5.**

 **C**

I had already started to wonder where he was, blaming Elena in my passive aggressive state, but I wasn't angry at him for taking care of his daughter. The knowledge that I would see him soon put a silly smile on my lips, something Andrea immediately noticed.

"Is it the hot daddy? Is he on his way?" She was already tipsy, her eyebrows waggling suggestively. Elliott frowned at her words as I blushed deep crimson.

"Hot daddy?" He asked, looking back and forth between me and my friend.

"Her boyfriend. We call him the hot daddy because he is hot and a daddy." Andrea explained to him proudly like it was a science, before a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "We need a nickname for you, too, now. Hmm.. the hot bar owner? No, that's too long. Kate, say something. As his girlfriend you get to make suggestions."

"I didn't get to do that." I mumbled underneath my breath. "If I had, I would have forbidden it."

"Please. Don't be so cross, sweetheart. As best friends we get to do that. Christian wouldn't mind if he knew. And Elliott doesn't mind either, right?" She said with a raised eyebrow, making it impossible for poor Elliott to decline.

"Now you know my pain. These girls are crazy. You should meet Leila, she is even worse. Only Ana here is bearable." Jose sighed with a head shake, making Andrea, Kate and me gasp.

"Crazy?" Kate and Andrea said in unison.

"Bearable?" I said with a playfully sour tone, nearly knocking over my drink as I crossed my arms at my chest. I was thankful for choosing a dress for tonight since the indoors were sticky warm, too many people and spotlights causing an immense heat.

Jose's eyes popped open as he bit his lip, looking at me apologetically.

"More than bearable. I didn't mean it like that, Ana bear. Can I show you how sorry I am by getting you your next drink?" He gave me the puppy dog eyes look he secretly had mastered, throwing one arm around my shoulders.

"You already bought me my first one. And I am doubting your words." I said with my chin high, leaning forward so I could place my crossed arms on the table. I didn't particularly feel well with him throwing an arm around me, Christian's words having caused an irrational paranoia. It wasn't something Jose hadn't done before and until now it hadn't even bothered me, so why was I bothered by it now? I suspected that it had to do with Christian – like everything else in my life currently. Suddenly the thought that I was behaving like Christian would have liked me to crossed my mind, totally raining on my parade because that had been the last thing I had wanted in life.

Behaving like my boyfriend would expect me to do even if he wasn't in the same room as if he had a saying about whom I could be friends with or how my friendships were supposed to look like.

The only reason why I shouldn't be too friendly with Jose was that I didn't want to cause false hope, event that was somehow ridiculous because I could still allow simple gestures without fearing to make him hope for more. Just because a woman smiled at a man or allowed him to hug her didn't mean that she was asking for more. I had Christian in my life, Jose knew that and he had never crossed a line before, he certainly wouldn't do it now, so why the sudden sensibility about what he could think or feel, I asked myself. He was a grown up man, it wasn't my duty to think of his feelings, I could simply be the good friend he deserved.

"You know what? I changed my mind. For that comment, you owe me a drink. So move your butt, Rodriguez." I joked, shaking my empty glass in front of his smiling face. He was gone before I could say something else, making me roll my eyes with a smile of my own. It was our usual banter, no need to put unreasonable pressure on our friendship.

The conversation changed while Jose was waiting for my drink at the bar. Kate was entertaining us with a story about how she fell in the auditorium of her first class in college and how her professor made a joke about 'knocking people off their socks with his lectures', when suddenly a pair of hands blocked my eyes, making me squeal in shock. I could feel a minty smelling breath at my ear before someone whispered words that made me blush.

"You look like a girl I would like to take home tonight."

I grinned widely as my heart beat quickened, hearing Andrea whistle loudly. I grasped the hands on my eyes and tugged them forward so the man behind me was hugging me now, his face on my right shoulder.

"Christian." I said, feeling his light stubble on my rosy cheek.

"Hey, baby." He said softly before his lips grazed my cheek. "And hey everyone."

"I assume you are the hot daddy?" Elliott laughed while he stood up to shake hands with my late, but hot boyfriend. Said man frowned at him as he let go off me, skipping out of his black jacket before he shook hands with Elliott.

"Hot daddy? Is that what they call me behind my back?" He asked, looking at a guilty looking Kate and a sassy Andrea.

"They do, it's their nickname for you." I explained, pointing toward my friends and earning a mumbled 'snitch' from Kate. She blushed in the color of her dress as Christian grinned. Andrea had been right, he didn't mind his nickname.

"They have all kind of nicknames going on. Hot daddy, Ana bear, and what did they call you, baby? Kitty Kat?" Elliott went on, laughing at his own words while he looked at his girlfriend who nodded. Unlike me, the killjoy as they called me, they had their fun with their creatively given nicknames.

"Ana bear?" Christian repeated with a wide grin, waggling his eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes, cursing the day Jose had come up with that stupid nickname. The last thing I needed was my boyfriend calling me that.

"Yeah. Jose calls her that, well he has been doing so all night at least." The dark blond haired man said, sitting down beside Kate. When Christian sat down beside me, too – ironically on Jose's chair – I could practically feel his frown, his arm which he threw over my naked shoulders tensing. I could literally feel his internal growl, but he was too polite to show his anger in public so he smiled coldly. It was just my luck that a stupid nickname given by a friend for fun would cause problems, problems as in my jealous boyfriend. He already had a thing against Jose, knowing that said man was giving me cute nicknames wasn't really helping.

"It's a stupid nickname." I chimed, reaching for his fingers which were softly grazing my upper arm's skin. I kissed his cheek softly before I cuddled to his side, breathing in his Christian smell.

"I will make sure that you don't have to hear it again then." He said impassively, reaching for my chin to make me look up. A loud, wet kiss was placed on my lips and then on my forehead, a smile curling his lips afterward.

"Your drink, Ana." I heard Jose say from behind me, making me sit up. He wasn't looking into my eyes as he hold out my cocktail toward me, his eyes concentrated on the seat Christian was sitting on. Suddenly feeling somehow embarrassed, I thanked him wholeheartedly, accepting the drink.

"Hey, man. Was this your seat? Sorry." Christian said with a fake grin, not bothering to stand up to greet Jose and not making a move to give him his seat back either. In fact, I was sure that he made himself even more comfortable, making me roll my eyes. I shouldn't be surprised by his attitude, I should have expected it even, but somehow I was still feeling like sighing tiredly. Christian was determined to put on a show and he was even more determined to make it worth.

"No problem. I will just get myself a chair." Jose had a fake grin of his own to give before he slandered away to get himself an empty chair from one of the tables nearby. I sipped on my cold drink, sending a silent prayer to the guy above for an eventless evening, the announcement that the band was going to start soon welcomed with open arms by me. Music would be a great distraction from the obvious tension between my maddening boyfriend and my passive aggressive friend who took out his anger on a pile of peanuts. Andrea waggled with her eyebrows from across the table, catching my attention.

"Why don't we powder our noses before the gig starts, ladies? Gotta look fresh." She proposed loudly, trying to sound nonchalant. Kate and I were quick to gather our purses to follow her, although leaving Jose and Christian alone was making me sweat nervously. Hopefully Elliott would keep them from biting each others head off.

"Holy shit. Talk about a pissing contest." Andrea exclaimed loudly as soon as the brown door of the ladies room closed after us.

"What's going on between Christian and Jose? Are they arch enemies or something?" Kate asked as she washed her hands in the sink before she looked for her lipstick in her purse.

I groaned loudly, leaning against the counter with crossed arms, watching Andrea close the door of her cabin behind herself.

"Christian thinks Jose wants me." I explained, shaking my head. "Which isn't quiet wrong because I know from Andrea that he has feelings for me."

"Did you tell Christian about that?" She asks with a concerned voice, making pouty faces at herself in the mirror when she is wearing fresh lipstick.

"I didn't have to. He sensed it somehow. He was jealous when he saw us together at work, we were joking around, and since then he is determined to scare Jose away, which is insane because Jose has never hit on me or anything, in fact I didn't know about his feelings for me until Andrea told me. But Christian swears since I have a boyfriend now, he will want me more. Until now I was available, but not anymore. I don't really understand that logic." I rambled now walking up and down, feeling the need to stomp my feet.

 _And people say women are complicated._

"His logic isn't that hard too understand, to be honest." Andrea said after she emerged from her cabin, walking toward the sinks to wash her hands. "Jose has wanted you until now, but since he suspected that you don't see him more than a friend, he never dared to confess his feelings. He couldn't have you the way he wanted, but he didn't have to see you being happy with somebody else. Your friendship was too valuable to lose, so he suppressed his feelings. But now with Christian in the picture, a man who has the spot he wants in your life, things have changed. Now he realized that suppressing feelings is bullshit, plus the whole jealousy thing going on. I'm sure he now feels the need to declare his feelings to the whole world so he can have you, instead of that hot other dude. Kate, can I have your lipstick?"

I starred at the back of the head of my friend with a frown, feeling my chest tighten painfully at the thought of any declaring of feelings coming from anyone than Christian.

"But Jose knew I was dating Christian all along. He has never tried to do anything." I mumbled, earning a tired sigh from Andrea.

"Yet. He hasn't tried anything yet." She corrected me with a know-it-all smile she gave me through the mirror.

"Even if he does, I certainly won't ditch Christian for him. So why be bothered by a declaration that might not even happen? Shouldn't Christian concentrate on what I feel and not what others might feel or do?" I asked back with a high chin, proud of my comeback.

"I think it's a guys thing. You know, the whole somebody else wants my woman and that is unacceptable thing. I think Christian is trying to prevent that from happening." Kate said with a thoughtful expression, nodding to herself. "Sounds plausible."

"Sounds like cavemen strategy." I maundered, reaching for my own purse to freshen up my lipstick, too.

"Deep down in their hearts, men are still stuck in 10.000 BC. Food and women, they don't like to share those things." Andrea said, sharing her wisdom with me.

"I am not a thing, first of all. And that is bullshit." I snapped, more at the whole situation than at her.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game, Ana bear." She winked at me playfully, making me groan.

"And stop with that nickname, for the love of God. I swear, if you guys don't stop calling me that in front of Christian, he will punch Jose. You should have felt how he tensed when he heard from where I got that name." I tried to sound as threatening as possible and failing completely. Being badass wasn't my thing.

"I would gladly feel how he tenses, if you know what I mean." Andrea giggled with a waggle of her eyebrows, making Kate shriek in laughter.

"I mean it, guys. No more Ana bear in front of Christian. Even though he is so focused on Jose being romantically interested in me, Jose is still a good friend and I would hate them to fight because of me." I pleaded sincerely, making them finally agree.

When we returned to our table, my mind full of scenarios in which I could save the situation between Jose and Christian, we found the guys in a heated discussion about local sports teams, thank God no fists flying around. I tried to feel less stressed as I sat down beside my boyfriend who had gotten himself a beer in my absence.

"There you are." He said sweetly to me, his arm finding its away around my shoulders and his lips finding mine. It was a quick kiss, nothing too sensual or hot, but enough to make my heart flutter and my knees tremble. "The band is starting now."

Right on cue, the loud voice of the lead singer, a man with tattoos on his muscular arms and piercing in one of his eyebrows, blurred into the mic, welcoming us for the night and promising an entertainment we wouldn't forget. According to Elliott they were a local band he had found on one of his many night trips to other bars where he checked up the competition, he had caught one of their gigs and arranged a concert at his own bar after liking their style. They surprised us when they announced that the first song was sung for the lovely blonde in a red dress, making Kate shriek and blush when all eyes turned toward her. She kissed Elliott wildly during the song, enjoying every moment while she listened to the song he had chosen for her, _More than words_ by Extreme.

I leaned back in Christian's arms, closing my eyes as I listened to the song, feeling his breath on my ear before he started whispering the lyrics, kissing me at the end with his hand lost in my hair and his tongue battling mine. I felt feverish when he let go off me, a stupid smile spreading on my heated cheeks, something about that kiss had felt different than the thousand ones we had shared before.

"I didn't know you could sing." I said to him, leaning forward to his ear so he could hear me better. The song just ended, the crowd cheering and clapping loudly as the band switched into a new song.

"That hardly counts as singing, but I have a weakness for great songs like that one." Christian answered, his fingers playing with a strain of my hair. He brushed the end of it against my rosy cheeks, tickling me.

"Please. You sang it better in a whisper than I would do out loud." I snorted, reaching for his hand to hold it.

"I personally know that you sound just perfect." He noted with an arched eyebrow and a dirty smile.

I frowned at him, pursing my lips.

"I never sang in front of you. How can you know?" I asked, thinking about possible painfully embarrassing moments in which I could have done the mistake to sing in front of him.

Christian tilted his head, before he tried to suppress another grin. He leaned forward to my ear again, whispering his next words before he bit my earlobe gently.

"I know how I make you sound. And trust me, Ana, I love the way you moan my name."

Dear God.

Arousal hit me like a wrecking ball, squeezing me in between a brick wall and itself, my skin feeling like it was aflame and my thighs trembling at the thought of all the things I wanted to do to Christian and all the things I wanted him to do to me. Unable to hold myself, I simply took his gray t-shirt's collar in my hands and pulled him toward me, ignoring the crowd and everyone around us, the need to kiss him, to touch him bigger than anything else. It was a full make-out session, shameless, wild and hot, filled with all the suppressed lust and desire from the past week we had spent sexting and anticipating tonight since we would finally be able to have sex again. As our lips sucked and moved on each other, his arms sneakily made their way around my body, one at the nape of my neck, the other on my naked leg, my skin buzzing where he touched me. I could feel his fingers play with the hem of my skirt, dangerously close to where I ached for him, but only teasing me like the cocky bastard he was. I bit his bottom lip extra hard when I felt him gently graze my inner thighs, softly moaning into his mouth. Just when I was contemplating faking an illness to get out of here as soon as possible, Christian let go off me, making me think that he had the same thought. My joyful grin turned into a pout, when he just winked at me and whispered something along the lines of soon and patience into my ear, my heart beating rapidly in my chest as I wanted to punch his stupid grin out of his face.

He loved to make me wait, I had no idea why.

The rest of the night, he spent teasing me with sudden, wild kisses, then with slow, sensual ones, then with his fingers touching me innocently on my shoulder or my wrist, and other times we whispers full of promises of what he intended to do when we got home, telling me that he had planned not to let me sleep until he was satisfied. I felt like I was sitting on hot coal the whole night, ready to explode from the heat and slightly uncomfortable in my nether regions. My kitty, which had been quiet in a while now, was back with its sharp claws trying to rip open my body, begging for a release preferably caused by the hot guy next to me.

There were definitely perks of being immensely aroused, though. I was too distracted to think about the whole my-boyfriend-is-being-paranoid situation, I even ignored the cocky looks he was giving Jose the whole time. Only at the end of the night, the band saying goodbye to the loud crowd, I noticed how arrogantly Christian could talk if he wanted to. He was behaving like a prick when he talked to Jose, pissing contest be damned. Even if he had issues with Jose having a crush on me, he should have the courtesy to be fake polite to my friend.

When we had said our goodbyes to our friends, my silent fuming became a loud one as soon as we were in his truck.

"I don't know why you keep being a dick toward him. I can understand why you wouldn't want to be best friends with him, I don't expect you to be, but Jose is a good friend to me and I feel like he deserves some politeness." I snapped, my rambling loud thanks to the alcohol in my blood, but Christian didn't seem to mind. I was even suspecting that he wasn't taking me seriously, probably because of the fact that I was tipsy, but in my state that infuriated me even more. I didn't shut up the whole way, telling him about the times Jose had proven how much of a good friend he was, how Ray even approved of him and so on. My nagging didn't stop even when we were getting ready for bed, me brushing my teeth after him, he pulling down the blinds in the bedroom.

"You could stop the snarky comments. And the too much affection in front of him. God. You know I love your kisses, but whenever you kiss me like that in public I feel too overwhelmed afterward to function properly. Knowing that he has feelings for me doesn't help either because that makes me feel bad for being happy." My voice echoed in the bathroom after I rinsed my mouth, before I dried it with one of his soft towels. Christian didn't answer my ramble, but I didn't let that stop me. I was too focused on the issue between him and Jose.

"I don't understand what you are thinking will happen. Do you think Jose will confess his feelings to me and I will ride off with him into the sunset on a white horse, or something? If I had wanted Jose, I would be with him. But I see him as a friend only, a good friend and someone I can trust. I see you as my boyfriend, someone I like _that way_ and someone I like to have lots of dirty sex with. Shouldn't that be everything you should care about? Who cared if he likes me or not? Am I right? I am so right and deep down you know that I am right, too. But what is with men and their cavemen strategy to..."

"Ana? Could you please shut up now? I really want to fuck you senseless, you talking about Jose doesn't help." He interrupted me suddenly, taking off his shirt in a swift move and revealing his defined chest. Yummy.

 _Wait what?_

"Oh. Senseless?" I asked, my former words forgotten. Was there something to talk? I didn't remember, my boyfriend looked too good to talk anyway. And I was horny, drunk, and horny.

"Yes, senseless. Just the way I have been dying to do all week. So please stop talking." He said with strict tone, dominant Christian coming out whenever we were in the bedroom. I loved dominant Christian and all the other Christians.

"Okay." I agreed with a nod, convinced to do whatever he wanted to do.

"Good. Now take of your clothes."

* * *

 **If you are wondering why Meli never gives you some lemons for Daddy C, it's because all of her lemon juices have been used to make a lemonade for her short story called 'Good Girl' which you can find on my profile. Careful though, it's dirty... so dirty.**

 **Thanks for the love of last time and don't forget to leave some love again :-***

 **Melii**

 **xoxo**


	23. Chapter 23

**Nearly 2 months. Oops. Sorry.**

 **\- NOT BETAED -**

* * *

 **23\. From broken hearts and love**

"Hey, Ana."

I looked up from my chaotic scribbles on my notebook, a tall figure shadowing over me as bright eyes looked down at me, a smile tugging at the lips, his and mine. Immediately, I made room for him to sit down on the bench I was sitting on, his cologne brushing my nostrils as he sat down.

"Hey, Jose. Done with lunch time?" I asked my friend and colleague, nodding toward the glass doors which lead inside. He and Nicole had been responsible for lunch time today and from the looks of the orange stain on his otherwise white t-shirt, it was clear that things had gotten out of hand.

"Done with life thanks to those kiddies." He said with an eye roll, making me giggle. It wasn't easy to get Jose frustrated or angry, but sometimes our job could do that even to the most patient ones.

"Only a few weeks left before summer break." I said with a sigh, playing my notebook beside me on the bench, my mind wandering off to the trips Christian and I were planning to make with Ellie and thanks to Grace, even without her once. My parents were high on our list of possible vacations, Christian insisted that he had to meet them as soon as possible because he wanted to know every part of my life. I had been tempted more than once to tell him that he was the most important part now, but whenever the words had been on the tip of my tongue I had chickened out, somehow talking about my feelings for him making me nervous.

Jose nodded toward the loudly squealing bunch of kids in the sandpit, my eyes taking in any possible crying fit or fight that could happen in between crooked sand castles as I follow his glance. I relaxed when I saw that everything seemed to be fine, no one was choking on sand and no one had a boo boo.

"I don't know if I will miss them that much." He said with a tilted head, leaning on his knees with his arms. "At the end of each year, I feel like they are draining my will to live out of me. Does that make me bad?"

"It makes you human because those kids can be exhausting. It's a good thing we don't have to see them on weekends." I shuddered at the thought of spending my weekends, which were reserved for my boyfriend, at work. I could understand Jose more than good, sometimes kids, especially if they weren't your own, could make you want to smash your head against the wall – no matter how cute they looked. It had been one of the first lessons I had learned when I had started my job. Cute kids were not cute when they were eating chalk or puking all over you and your new blouse which you had bought just a few days ago, happy that you had found something in your size with an affordable price.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Jose asked, his head turned toward me. I froze just when I was going to answer his question, his intentions of making small talk bringing up a topic I was hesitant to discuss with him. According to Christian and Andrea, Jose had feelings for me, something I had noticed too, but unlike my infuriating boyfriend I didn't think of his feelings as an obstacle, something to be worried about as a potential danger between us. I was just concerned about hurting him in the process of being happy with Christian, especially since I wasn't denying myself the happiness I had. It would be a stupid thing to forbid myself a relationship with Christian just because I wanted to protect Jose's feelings, in the end I still wouldn't have feelings for him, no matter if I was single or not. I just had to make sure I didn't lose him as a friend in the process.

"Ah, yes. Christian's parents invited us to dinner tomorrow. More like a barbecue thing they host for the neighborhood once a year, or something." I mumbled with red crimson colored cheeks, watching the shadow of a frown cross his face, before he gave me a polite smile. Since our night at the Elliott's bar, neither Jose or Christian were happy whenever their names were brought up in a conversation.

Crap. Maybe I should have lied. He wouldn't have questioned me, maybe ask some questions but nothing I couldn't answer most definitely. Double crap. Why was I trying to change the truth, _my truth_ , while trying to be a good friend? As long as I wasn't telling him the deepest secrets and joys of my relationship, we should be able to talk about my boyfriend, right? And telling him about my first official dinner at Christian's parents' place was a normal conversation for friends, even if one of the participants had feelings for the other. I was confused, and I was confusing myself, this whole situation was confusing.

"And you? What's your plan for the weekend?" I asked when Jose didn't say anything, making my guts clench painfully with guilt. It was obvious, he didn't want to talk about Christian, why did I have to bring him up?

Before my friend could answer, a loud cry interrupted our painfully awkward conversation, a girl with black hair and red glasses sitting on the grass not far from us, her knee bleeding, her cheeks wet from her tears. We were on our feet within a second, running toward her, everything about our conversation forgotten. Little Brittany had stumbled over her own feet while playing hide and seek with her friends, her knees preventing her from falling onto her face and therefore saving her parents from a pricey glasses replacement, but the few drops of blood on her left knee with its skin torn in the form of a small circle was enough of a reason to make her cry as if someone was stabbing her repeatedly. Jose was her savior when he cooed and soothed her, blowing gently against her boo boo, before he picked her up to carry her to Leila's office where we kept our first aid kit. After checking on Andrea who was patrolling at the swings, I followed Jose to check on little Brittany, her tears gone and a wide smile on her lips when I found her and Jose at Leila's office.

"Do you think we should call her parents?" Leila asked with her hands at her hips, watching Jose put on a colorful band-aid on Brittany's small wound.

"It's just a little scrap, L. Brittany is strong and she is not crying anymore, right? She doesn't want to go home." Jose smiled at the girl, encouraging her with his words. "She just won't run around today so her boo boo doesn't hurt. Maybe she would like to play with me and Ms. Steele. Would you like that, Brittany? We could play dolls, make a puzzle or even draw together."

"Oh, we could play with the dolls." The little girl said excitedly, her eyes widening. We smiled at her reaction, the boo boo thank God forgotten.

Leila was nice enough to bring a few of the dolls from my classroom while Jose, Brittany and I made our way outside where we found a nice spot for the three of us around a wooden table which's surface was full of amateur drawings made by bored kids. I giggled when I saw a crooked drawing of Spongebob Squarepants, his usual yellow color replaced by dark orange. While the little girl was making two dolls in her hands dance, I felt Jose's look on me, making me glance at him. A insecure expression shadowed his face, he bit his lip before he spoke. I feared the worst, his expression making my guts bubble with anxiety.

"Ana, can we talk?" He asked slowly, making me frown.

"Sure." I said, waiting for him to go on, but he just shook his head with a sorry smile.

"Not now." He said with a look toward Brittany. "Later. After work, I mean. We could go have something to eat."

Oh. Crap.

The prospect of talking after work while we had something to eat left a wary feeling in my bones, my former thought of not wanting him to misinterpret things between us coming back with a force. I didn't want him to think that we were more than friends, having dinner with him all by ourselves could give him a false impression.

 _Don't be silly, Ana. You went to have dinner with him before and you didn't give him any hope back then. Surely, he won't misinterpret that._

But what if he had?

I felt irritated at that thought, suddenly wanting to cry out because both he and Christian were adding unnecessary problems to my already emotional chaos. On one hand there was my stupid, paranoid, jealous boyfriend who thought that Jose was going to try to steal me from him, while he should trust me and my feelings for him. And on the other hand there was my friend who had kept his feelings to himself until I found a nice guy, his obvious distaste in Christian kinda hurting my feelings. Both of them should feel ashamed by themselves. Didn't they want me to be happy?

Enough was enough. They were going to hear me talk from now on, starting with Jose. If he wanted to talk, I would gladly give him an earful.

"Sure. We need to talk anyway." I sighed before I turned my attention to Brittany's dancing dolls, feeling Jose's surprised look on me.

I ignored him for the rest of the day, concentrating on my job and my task of making sure that no kid got hurt under my watch. _Stupid, selfish men,_ I thought to myself with a frown, taking the freedom to blame both of them. I didn't want them to compete in a testosterone loaded pissing contest, they didn't have the right to do that, I was a human being with a free will and I would make use of said will, deciding if they were worth enough to endure the mind fuck they were causing.

 _Giving me puppy dog eyes, making passive aggressive comments, throwing daggers with their looks at each other,_ I scorned, shaking my head. They were supposed to be grown ups, for fuck's sake. I had enough problems for myself, deserving the right not to be bothered by their stupid, virile possession. My job was harder than it looked, I had to make sure that my students were not harmed in the end of the day, I had to make sure to teach them a thing or two, to have an effect on their upbringing and education, and I had to write this stupid play, Leila wanted me to write since she was convinced that I had the creativity of a screenwriter. Apparently reading books and having a degree in British Literature was enough to be the next Quentin Tarantino, but unlike his masterpieces, mine was about a caterpillar trying to get back his cocoon which was stolen by an angry bee. I still needed to figure out which was the best way to end that play while Leila was lighting under me, reminding me over and over again that we still needed costumes. Thank God, Andrea's mum was ready to make them for us if we helped her, even giving us a discount, but I wasn't sure if we would be enough people to prepare everything, after all there were still other things that needed to be done beside the costumes, like the stage, decorations, music, food, the list was endless. How was I supposed to keep my calm when all of this was going on in my life? My boyfriend and friend could at least consider being fake polite toward each other for my sake.

My tension multiplied at the end of the day when the parents came to pick up their children, my colleagues and I standing at the entrance and waving at our students, saying our goodbyes and wishing them a great weekend.

Leaning against a shiny, black Jeep with her arms crossed underneath her chest and her eyes hidden behind an humongous pair of sunglasses, Elena Lincoln regarded everyone with a cold smile curling her rose colored lips, exuding disinterest and confidence. Her body was clad in a pair of tight jeans, her legs seemed to be endless, and a blood red top with a deep cleavage. Blonde hair was falling in waves around her porcelain like face, her left wrist full of sparkling bracelets, her heels high and sharp enough to drill a hole into my head if she ever should want to.

I nearly let out a furious cry when I saw her, her beauty outstanding as always, making me shrink in my white t-shirt and jeans, my sneakers worn but comfy. Elena Lincoln was the last person I wanted to deal with today, my nerves already burning since I had an important talk planned with Jose, something my boyfriend wasn't going to like at all. I had yet to tell him about my plans, the last few hours I had spent with tied guts as guilt spread in me, but now that I saw his ex wife who was obviously here to pick up her daughter – something he should have warned me about -, I didn't feel as guilty as earlier. It was his turn to be surprised, it seemed.

Ellie was quick enough to notice her mother, squealing delighted when she ran toward her. Elena caught her with a big smile, swirling her in her arms as they both giggled, obviously happy to see each other. I had never doubted Elena's love for her daughter, even Christian confessed that his ex wife loved Ellie, but I knew that the blonde goddess had often times other priorities like her career. I respected her work, but the thought that little Ellie got neglected in the process saddened me.

"You look like you have seen a ghost, Ana bear. Don't let the bitch see that she is affecting you." Andrea whispered beside me, her hawk eyes taking in every detail of said bitch.

I turned my head away, deciding not to give Elena any attention. I should be more mature than that, having accepted her being a part of my life now since I was constantly around her daughter, her name mentioned occasionally more by Ellie than Christian.

While I tried my best to occupy myself by talking to some parents who were eager to hear about our _super duper planned_ graduation party – don't judge the sarcasm, please -, I couldn't stop myself from looking at Ellie and her mother from the corner of my eyes. They were talking to Ellie's friend, Maggie, and her mum, Elena weirdly nice and friendly as she spoke, making me wonder if it was genuine or if she just had a good poker face, her sunglasses on the top of her head.

"A play?" Elena suddenly exclaimed, surprised, looking down at her daughter. "You never told me that there was going to be a play, sweetie?"

"Ms. Steele is writing it. She said that there is going to be a beautiful butterfly with pink wings and sparkles." Ellie let out with a swooning look on her face. I couldn't quite remember promising her such things, but I had to confess that it sounded like a good finale, even though pink wouldn't be my choice of color. No need to push gender based colors onto the kids minds.

"Look how talented Ms. Steele is." Elena said with a smile, it didn't reach her eyes. A cold chill went down my spine as she suddenly looked toward me, her eyes giving me a daring look.

 _Great. Just what I needed._

Courtesy expected me to give her a polite smile, which I did, internally screaming at the situation. I hadn't expected to have a show down with her at my workplace out of all the places, at least we had witnesses should she decide to kill me with her heels. I was sure Andrea would slam dunk her to the ground to save me, being the good friend that she was.

"Mummy, where is Daddy?" Ellie asked, oblivious to the icy stares her mother was giving me.

"He had to work a little longer today, sweetie. I came to pick you up instead." She explained patiently, her icy stares melting when she looked down at the strawberry blonde haired girl, before she turned toward Ellie's friend's mother, a tall, black haired woman in her late thirties.

"A play, you say? Is there anything we could help with?" She asked, reeking of false innocence, her words obviously directed at me and my colleagues.

Andrea rolled her eyes, before she got into action, walking up to the two ladies while dragging me behind her. I could practically hear her thoughts, _don't let the bitch scare you._ I tried to stand tall with my chin high, trying to find all the confidence which was hidden underneath my insecurities and my obsession with the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

"In fact, yes, Ms. Lincoln. We will need plenty of help. Hi, I'm Andrea Aldrin, one of the teachers here." My friend introduced herself, holding a hand toward Elena, shaking hands with her while exuding confidence.

"What kind of play is this? If you don't mind me asking, Ms. Steele?" My boyfriend's ex asked with one eyebrow raised high on her forehead, I tried not to blush underneath her stare.

"A self- written thing since we wanted something original." _I didn't want a self-written thing, Leila did,_ I scorn internally, not showing any of that negative thought on my face, though.

Elena rolled her eyes at me, rudely so.

"That much was clear. I was asking for more details. Will it be a fairytale type of story? Or something more modern?"

 _Bitch._

"It will be something the kids will enjoy, I am sure." I smiled sweetly, her rudeness awakening my confidence. "That's our main aim, of course. After all it's their important day, isn't it?"

"You are right, it's their important day. That's why the play should be _extraordinary._ " Her tone said it all, she wasn't expecting something extraordinary from me, calling me ordinary between the lines. The smug expression on her face was the cherry on top.

"Ms. Steele will deliver, I'm sure." Maggie's mum said with an awkward cough, the tension between us obvious for her to be secondhand embarrassed. "If you will excuse me now, ladies. Have a nice weekend."

We said our goodbyes before she went away with her daughter, her departure making me hope that Elena would go away, too, but the blonde venom was insisting on pissing on my already wet parade. I hated her for making me call her blonde venom, I had wanted to be the more mature person today, but leave it to Elena to make sure none of my plans worked out.

"Ana is talented, Ms. Lincoln. I have no doubts about her abilities. You will see, the play will be more than extraordinary." Andrea laughed, her eyes sparkling with arrogance. I was thankful for her presence.

"We shall see." Elena answered with a crooked, arrogant smile, tilting her head as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Is there anything I can do to help? I'm sure the other parents will want to help, too."

 _Yeah, I am sure you want to help._

"We will inform the parents about everything else as soon as we have set the roles. We have an arrangement with a local tailor shop, they even gave us a discount but we will need to help them since they are only a small shop." My friend explained, brushing one strand of hair away from her face.

"The dresses will obviously have to be made for individual kids." I added with a nod, Elena ignored me, though.

"Ms. Williams has my number." She said toward Andrea with a lecturing tone. "If she needs any help, tell her she can call me any time. I will round up the rest of the parents since I am in touch with most of them. Tell the tailor shop that we are paying the full price, we should give them the money they deserve even if we help or not."

Neither Andrea, nor I missed the demanding tone in her voice as she bluntly gave us orders, we surely hadn't named her our dictator, nor our leader.

"We are grateful for your engagement, Ms. Lincoln. We will _try_ to remember you if we need any help." I said with a clenched jaw, my words loud and clear, _don't mess with me, bitch_.

She chuckled, her eyes full of thunder.

"It's not a problem, Ms. Steele. We are a family now, aren't we? After all, you are dating my daughter's father. Come, Ellie. We need to go now."

With that she turned in her spot, dragging her daughter away from us, as all eyes looked at me, her words still lingering in the air.

The truth was out.

Christian's fan club didn't look pleased with the news of me dating their favorite, single dad.

 _Elena – 1._

 _Ana – 0._

* * *

 **YOU ARE DOING WHAT?**

 **\- C**

 _Ouch._ His scream was audible in his text, a response to my earlier one where I told him that I was going to have dinner with Jose at the probably least romantic place on earth, a Fast Food restaurant where everything was too greasy for a good health. It hadn't surprised me when his answer didn't take him longer than a few seconds, I knew he had the tendency to response faster if it was something making angry or horny.

I shook my head at his words, typing a quick answer.

 **No shouty capitals. Dinner. With Jose. He wanted to talk and so do I. I will come to the bar later.**

 **\- A xo**

I reread my words, quickly writing another text before he could respond.

 **And don't you dare to show up. If you do, I will sleep at my own place this weekend.**

 **\- A**

Knowing him, it wouldn't have surprised me if he showed up right in the middle of my important talk with Jose, even if that meant he had to check every known restaurant in Seattle and its area, angering me even more in the process. I had enough of suppressed negative emotions going on, no need to add more unless he was ready to deal with them.

"Ready?" Jose knocked at the door of my class room where I had been packing my purse and switching off lights. I smiled at him, feeling my phone buzz in my purse.

"Yeah. Let's go."

I followed his car with mine as he lead us through the traffic, our destination the same Fast Food restaurant where Christian and I had our first kiss. A frown shadowed my face as the realization hit me, but to be honest, Jose had never stated where we were going and he certainly didn't know about the special meaning of this place, so I couldn't really blame him. At least, the food was tasty enough.

"Do you want to share pizza with me?" Jose asked me when we were seated in a booth, our eyes concentrating on the menus in our hands.

"I think I want a hamburger, to be honest. And fries." I answered with a shrug, the most boring and obvious type of small talk starting as we both beat around the bush. We talked about work, about Leila's love life – she had told us that she had a few dates in the past weeks, but she had kept the identity of her new bae a secret -, about graduation, about my dad, about everything beside the obvious. When I was halfway finished with my burger, I finally exploded, unleashing the tension from today on a surprised looking Jose.

"What's your problem?" I asked bluntly, pushing away my plate as hunger was replaced by anger. "You are behaving weird since I have started dating Christian."

 _Gallant, Ana. And very subtle._

I was done with subtle and gallant. I needed answers and I needed to find a solution for my misery, the men in my life driving me mad with their irrational behavior.

Jose looked ashamed, looking down at his fingers before he spoke.

"I'm sorry if I have hurt your feelings, Ana. I hadn't wanted to irritate you with my behavior, believe me." He pursed his lips at one side, shaking his head in a frustrated way. "You are the last person I would want to hurt."

"Then talk to me. Tell me what I can do." I muttered, blushing.

"I have to be honest with you, Ana." He said, looking determined all of the sudden. "I have kept lots of things to myself, my biggest regret to be honest, but I did so because I didn't want to lose you."

 _Oh no. He isn't going to declare his love for me now, is he?_

My insides clenched with nervousness as he spoke with a trembling voice.

"I have been in love with you, Ana. Since the day we have met. There, I said it. It's out now."

"Jose, I.." I began, even though I didn't know how to let him down painlessly, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "I..., you are my friend."

He grimaced, sighing deeply. "I know. I know you never saw me as more than a friend, that's why I never dared to tell you about my feelings which was a selfish thing to do, leaving you in the dark I mean. But you were my friend, too. I couldn't risk losing you, your friendship means a lot to me, Ana."

The food I had eaten was trying to make out its way through my mouth, my stomach aching the more he spoke, not because of disgust, but because of pity and guilt. I tried to imagine what it would feel like if Christian only saw me as a friend while I had these feelings for him, the thought alone made me shiver. In my anger, I had forgotten that this was probably the hardest thing Jose had to say, the following words out of his mouth proving my thought.

"You have no idea how I have feared this conversation. But it's the best we can do in this situation." He shook his head again, as if he was trying to convince himself one last time, the internal fight in him visible in his shadowed face. "I want you to be happy, Ana. You deserve all the happiness of the world, you are the kindest, gentlest, wittiest person I know. Someone like you should get her happy ending and I don't want to stand in the way of it."

I frowned at him, his words confusing me.

"What do you mean 'standing in the way of it'?"

"I don't know if we can continue to be friends. Not while I can't bear to see you with _him,_ it's not anything personal, it's not about him. It's just... seeing you happy with someone else than me. I want you to be happy, but I am also only human, I have feelings for you, feelings you will never have for me, seeing you have these feelings for someone else is too painful."

"You want to end our friendship." I stated with a whisper, suddenly losing my friend, something that left me breathless. He nodded.

"Yes. I have to."

"But.."

There was nothing I could say, nothing to blame him for, nothing that could change his mind. I wasn't going to stop being happy with Christian, I wasn't going to have feelings for Jose and I couldn't expect his feelings for me to stop. I couldn't expect him to bear the view of me being happy with someone else, the thought alone made me shiver with disgust, I didn't want to be the selfish bitch. I had to let go, I had to stop hurting him.

As we said our farewells, I couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face, my phone buzzing in my purse with texts from Christian. I ignored them as I drove home, only then sending him a text that I went home instead of joining him and his friends at the bar.

I cried until my door bell rang, Christian on the other side, hugging me tightly when he saw the state I was in.

* * *

The next morning, my head aches from all the crying.

Christian and I had spend the night on my couch with some random movie on TV while we lay in each others arms, his hand softly brushing over my hair, his voice whispering soothing words into my ear, his earlier anger about me going to dinner with Jose forgotten. When I had told him about Jose's decision to stay away from me for the sake of my happiness and his feelings, Christian had been surprised, he hadn't expected a selfless decision like that. He had predicted that Jose would do the opposite, trying to steal me from him, his oppressed feelings finally free with another man in the picture. I had felt smug when my friend had proved him wrong, a silly pride spreading in me. Christian had been wise enough not to comment on it any longer, maybe secretly enjoying how things had turned out, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I look like death." I muttered as I took a look of myself in the mirror of my bathroom, Christian getting naked behind me, the skin underneath my eyes swollen and reddish, my lips dry and my hair a chaotic mess. He hugged me from behind, his naked dick softly pressing against my butt in the process.

"You look beautiful." He mumbled into my ear after he brushed away my hair from my shoulder, gently kissing the skin beneath my ear. I flushed as my skin tingled thanks to his kiss.

"You are a liar." I shrugged, freeing myself from his arms to get naked myself. His eyes darkened at the look of my breasts, his hand reaching for mine when he pulled me in front of him, both of us facing the mirror again. Gray eyes were sparkling at me through our reflection, his arms circling my body to pull me closer to him.

"You really have no idea what I see when I look at you, do you?" He mumbled, nuzzling my hair, taking a deep breath.

"A mess?" I asked with a shrug, not able to think of another word to describe my current state. "Emotionally and physically, at the moment."

Christian looked up, our eyes meeting through the mirror again, my heart fluttering in my chest while I wondered if I would ever stop reacting to him like this. A smile tugged at his lips, lips I hadn't kissed today yet.

"I see your beautiful, brown hair, I see how you play with one strand of it whenever you are bored. I see how you swiftly put it into a ponytail which bounces when you move, I see how you comb your hair after the shower when it smells fresh like your shampoo, that smell lingers in the air whenever you flip your hair at me, being smartass and sassy." He whispered, tugging at one strand of my hair before he twirled it playfully.

"You are mocking me." I said with a pout, earning a light pinch at my hip which made me yelp.

"Don't interrupt me." His tone was stern, his eyes full of humor. I only could roll my own eyes him.

"I see your eyes, their blue lash and deep, the skin around them wrinkling whenever you smile or laugh. I see your eye rolls whenever I am being immature or annoying, I see the sparkle in your eyes when you have an idea. I see them darken whenever you are horny, which I quite like, to be honest. I see them piercing right through my soul whenever I look at them, thinking _man, what did I do to deserve this girl."_ Christian breathed, sounding in awe, his hands slowly brushing over the skin of my waist. Goose bumps spread all over my body, my nipples hardening as I blushed deeply, trying to look down so I could escape the intensity of his eyes.

"Don't look down. Let me admire that beautiful blush." He commanded softly, making me look up.

"I see your lips, full and pouty, and I feel the need to kiss them. I see your smile and I get happy seeing you happy, I love causing your beautiful smiles. I hear the words coming out of your mouth, your weird ones, and the ones full of wisdom. I hear your laugh, it honestly sounds like music to me, something I can listen to whenever I want to escape the rest of the world. You are my safe hold, the one place I can run to." He kissed my cheek tenderly as if I was the most precious thing in the world, while my heart felt like it was going to explode, the negativity of yesterday leaving my body completely, my emotions only revolving about him at the moment.

"Christian.." I whispered, the words tying my throat, my eyes teary, my cheek buzzing after his kiss.

This was it, I decided right there and then. This was the moment I would allow myself to say the L-world because I was ready, because it was obvious that he was ready, too. There was no reason to prolong it, happiness was meant to be lived and I was welcoming it with open arms.

"I.." My voice trembled, our eyes still looking at each other, his a stormy gray, mine a deep, dark sea.

"Yes?" He mumbled, patient, ever so patient, giving me the time I needed. I didn't need more time, though. I was sure of myself, of my feelings, this would be the moment I would tell him that I loved him.

But I never got to, though.

The sound of my door bell interrupted us, the moment broken, the feelings once again hiding underneath my insecurities. I frowned, freeing me from Christian's arms to put on my bathrobe which was hanging on the back of my bathroom's door.

"Were you expecting someone?" He asked me with raised eyebrows, still oh so very naked.

"No. I have plans already today, remember?" I shrugged, referring to the dinner we were invited to at his parent's place, the rest of the day reserved for Christian.

"Well, whoever it is make sure to get rid of them soon enough, so I can fuck you nice and dirty, before I clean you in the shower." He said with a wink, his dick already hardening. I giggled at his words, hearing how he turned on the shower when I left the bathroom.

"Who is it?" I asked into the intercom, not bothering to buzz the person downstairs in. If I was lucky, it would be a sales person whom I could get rid of easier through the intercom, feigning an illness or something.

"Um, it's me, Annie. Will you buzz me in?" The voice sounded robotic, but the tone familiar, making me gasp in surprise.

"Dad!"

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to bertha55 for this chapter ;)**

 **(I know last chapter nobody got to have his ass because I forgot, so I guess his ass belonged to me. Sorry.)**

 **Yup. Totally ruined the moment. Thanks, Ray. These people wanted them to make love while saying I love you, but I guess they will have to wait.**

 **Thanks for the love of last time, leave some more this time. And go check out my Facebook Group "Patience of a Saint" if you wanna be in touch, get previews, teasers, pictures, and memes.**

 **Until next time (hopefully not another 2 months, though)**

 **Melii xoxo**

 **P.S.: 4 chapters left ;)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Meli is back with Daddy C.**

 **Tbh, this chapter didn't quite turn up as I had imagined it to be, but here it is anyway since rewriting and editing only work for a while before you give up with a fried brain and burned nerves. I hope you still enjoy it and leave some love for this sweet, nice and totally angel like author ;)**

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **24\. From lies and truth**

The tension in my cluttered living room was thick enough to be cut through, everyone awkwardly sipping on their coffees while desperately trying not to look into each others eyes. Small talk had already been done, polite _how are you's, the weather is nice, I hope you had a nice drive here_ already exchanged, too fast for my liking. I would have gladly kept on talking about the local weather instead of addressing the elephant in the room which was shamelessly lingering around, aware that it wasn't welcome but too ignorant to take a hint. Hell, I would have preferred an actual elephant even, maybe the zoo Ellie liked to go with her grandparents so much would lend me one.

Just when Christian and I were having a long overdue conversation completely naked in my bathroom, just when I was finally going to tell him about my feelings for him, the L-word aching to be spoken out, the door bell had rung, interrupting our special moment which had made my knees weak, my heart fluttering. My plans to get rid of whoever was daring to disturb me and my super hot boyfriend right before wet love making underneath the running water of my shower, had been sabotaged when it had been Ray's voice coming over the intercom. Quickly I had buzzed him in, practically running to the bathroom to tell Christian about my father's surprise visit, before I hurried to my bedroom to get dressed in a record worthy time, my mind full of questions. Ray had never visited me unannounced before, in fact he made sure to tell me weeks before, being the punctual person that he was, so when he had shown up at my place early on a Saturday morning, my surprise had been written all over my face.

When I had left my bedroom with my body clothed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, my hair in an uncombed bun on the top of my head, my surprise had turned into shock as I noticed that my father wasn't alone.

Awkwardly and equally embarrassed about the whole situation, Ray and the blonde woman whom I had assumed to be Gia, his new girlfriend, had been standing in my hallway, a fresh bouquet in Gia's oozing a heavenly smell, two small bags placed on the floor beside them. She was a petite woman with a friendly smile and deep, chocolate brown eyes, her words cheery as she had introduced herself, my father and I suspiciously quiet. One look into his eyes had told me everything I needed to know, he was asking for my approval, having pestered me about finally meeting his new girlfriend for the past weeks in the few times we had actually talked, but my busy schedule had never allowed me to take a drive to his place and meet the new woman in his life, something I was feeling ashamed about now.

 _We thought it would be a nice surprise and also an opportunity to see Seattle,_ Gia had explained apologetically, adding a few sorry's afterwards, _we didn't want to intrude._ She was definitely chatty, the total opposite of my dad, which lead to him being quiet as she had explained their reasons for their surprise visit, bamboozling me with her apologies and explanations. Politely I had told her that they weren't intruding, they were very welcome, although my guts were bubbling with a strange feeling, something feeling off about the whole situation.

When Christian had finally joined us, his hair wet and his body no more naked, Ray had given his first sincere reaction of the day, his eyebrows high on his forehead.

"You look familiar." He had noted after Christian introduced himself to the both of them, making my boyfriend blush adorably. If my father and his girlfriend hadn't been there, I probably would have devoured him on my couch, his blush making my synapses buzz with lust.

"We met once, Sir. The last time you visited Ana." Christian had quickly explained, taking a seat beside me, his hand reaching for mine. His touch had calmed me down, the strange feeling in my stomach replaced by the butterflies he caused.

"Ah, that's why you looked familiar. You are the parent of one of Annie's teachers, if I remember correctly." My father had nodded to himself, his expression impassive, making me wonder if he was displeased with me dating a single dad. It would be typical for Ray to worry like the protective father he was, he had always been careful with my former boyfriends, none of them had been a single father, though. I didn't quite know what he was thinking about me dating someone with a kid, said kid being one of my students.

The mention of Ellie had quickly started a conversation about my work, Gia asking me a few questions which I politely had answered, Ray and Christian talking about the weather, Christian asking Gia about their drive to Seattle, finally leading to the awkward tension we were suffering now.

I was thankful for Christian's presence which could calm me down in moments like this, my anxiety reaching its peek the more I stared back and forth between my dad and Gia, imagining their relationship, - _ew don't go there, Ana -_ , asking myself why he chose someone as chatty and vibrant as her, both features had been reasons why my mother and he had broken up. Gia seemed nice from what I had seen, the fact that my father had brought her to meet me instead of waiting for my busy ass to visit them spoke for itself, he obviously was pretty serious with her, a thought which surprisingly rained on my parade for whatever reasons.

 _Am I jealous?_

That would be an awfully childish thing to do, but who knew if my mental state could really be called mature, after all I was famous for being weird. Christian didn't mind my weirdness, in fact he enjoyed it even as I provided entertainment whenever I opened my mouth – _if you know what I mean -,_ but still I shouldn't compare my usual weirdness with me being jealous because my father is dating a woman.

He deserved to be happy, especially after the heart break my mother had caused when she left him, and if Gia was making him happy, I should be happy, too. Right?

The strange feeling remained, though. I decided not to call it jealousy until I was sure what it was, giving it false names only causing more confusion. God knew I didn't need more confusion than I already had.

My eyes crossed with my father's, his hiding frantic desperation, mine probably proudly and unashamedly displaying confusion and that weird, strange feeling. I felt how Christian squeezed my hand, encouraging me with his eyes to speak, I could feel his stare on my cheek. I knew I was being a rude host, especially toward Gia, but my mouth was dry, my throat dry and the words leaving my mouth only could be disastrous if I dared to speak now.

I couldn't stop wondering if I was making mountains out of molehills. My father was single and handsome enough to be dating, of course he didn't deserve to live the rest of his life all by himself. I knew that he wasn't one to make spontaneous decisions, thinking back and forth even if it was something as simple as buying a new fabric softener, undoubtedly he had also thought long and hard before he started dating Gia. I trusted his decisions well enough, he wouldn't have introduced us to each other if he wasn't absolutely certain about her and if he wasn't head over heels.

 _She is important to him,_ I reminded myself over and over again, promising myself to forget about internal conflicts and concentrate on the now, finally deciding to be a good host, but before I could say something, my father used the awkward silence to speak up.

Ray's nervousness made his forehead sweat as he raised his cup with a slightly shaking hand, a forced polite smile crossing his face after he took a sip.

"This is really nice coffee. Not a lot of people know how to make decent coffee." He joked, an obvious try to relief the tension, his eyes looking at me as if he was begging for agreement.

"You taught me well, Dad." I said with a small smile, quickly reaching for my own cup, gulping down the liquid of my sip even though it burned the inside of my mouth.

"What do you do for work, Christian?" He asked my boyfriend, the coffee talk forgotten.

Christian told him about his work at the auto shop, something Ray seemed to look pleased with as his next words praised handiwork and how only few people knew to appreciate it now that everybody chose fancy, suit included jobs at desks which stiffened your back before you were in your 30's, their conversation lightening the mood as they went from one topic to another, their enthusiasm for fishing making both of them smile widely.

I was in awe with how easy it was for Christian to melt the ice, he was a charmer from head to toe, something I could never be with the lump in my throat sitting tightly on my vocal cords.

"I'm not very fond of fishing." Gia said, her brown eyes looking at me. I appreciated her try to start a conversation with me.

"Neither am I." I said, blushing as I slowly turned my body toward hers so we could talk easier.

"I hate the smell of fish." I added, making her giggle, a smile curling my lips at the sound of her voice.

"I'm thankful every day that my boss sells fruits and not sea-food products." She joked, making me remember that she worked as a saleslady, Ray had already told me the last time he visited.

"Yeah, kids smell better, too. Most of the time." I said with a nervous laughter. "I work as a kindergarten teacher."

"Ray told me. He is very proud of you."

I quickly learned that there was a reason why Ray kept Gia around, she was capable of cracking the hardest shells, making people speak and relax within her presence, her voice and words calming as she spoke. The lump in my throat was merciful as it allowed me to speak, our conversation light and friendly, my heart warming as I realized that this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Gia and Ray deserved a chance, I was ready to get to know the woman my father was very fond of, just like he seemed to do with Christian. The two men were obviously enjoying their conversation about fishing, sports and politics, soon enough talking about cars, making me roll my eyes at the so typical for men topics they chose, but I guessed I shouldn't be judging them since Gia and I were talking about my work with kids, our shared passion for cooking – hers more vibrant than mine -, and her interest for knitting, something I didn't particularly manage, but I listened to her words politely.

"We booked a room at a hotel close by, Annie." Ray answered when I had asked him if they were staying tonight. I felt relieved that they already had a room to stay, the thought of sleeping on my couch while I had to offer Gia and Ray my own bed was horrifying me, it was the same bed Christian and I had fucked on last night after all. I didn't want to think about my dad's reaction if he could hear my thoughts now, the meeting-the-new-boyfriend thing already making me tense, even though it went surprisingly well. He hadn't spoken it out, but I had seen the hurt in his eyes as Christian had introduced himself as my boyfriend, something I should have told my father before, instead of bamboozling him, especially since Ray had actually driven all the way to Seattle to tell me the news about his dating life and to introduce his new girlfriend to me.

"How about we have dinner tonight?" Gia proposed, looking at us for approval. "You could bring your daughter, Christian. We would love to meet her."

Crap. Dinner. I had totally forgotten about that. Christian's parents had invited us for a late barbecue at their place, the official meeting-the-parents event planned by his eager mother.

"Um, actually..." I began nervously, but my boyfriend interrupted me with a smile. He was once again my lifesaver, _gosh, this man is send from heaven._

"Tonight we all are invited to dinner at my parent's place. They will be thrilled to meet you two."

"Oh, if you have plans, we wouldn't want to intrude." Ray said with a blush, Gia nodding in agreement. Christian wasn't having any of that, though.

"Nonsense. No one is intruding, you are invited." He assured, leaning back in his seat and throwing an arm around my shoulders. I relaxed as soon as we touched, his body warm against mine.

"The more, the merrier, my mother likes to say. She loves having a crowded house." He added with a charming smile, convincing Ray and Gia, who visibly relaxed with his words.

I didn't know what to think about meeting Christian's parents officially with my dad and his girlfriend in tow, at least my nervousness was shrinking in my fluttery chest. Grace had always been super friendly toward me the times we had seen each other when she picked up Ellie from kindergarten, said little girl was praising her grandmother whenever she could, telling me that they talked about me a lot. Until now I had only once met Christian's father at the night when Ellie had sprained her ankle, he had been reserved, but I didn't judge him for that since we didn't get the chance to have a proper conversation in which we would have gotten to know each other. I could see him being the less chatty one, reserved and polite.

I had tried pestering Christian about his parents a few days ago, but he had been too busy with getting me naked, fumbling with my bra as I bombarded him with questions about his childhood, his relationship with his parents, the house he grew up in, but the sight of my naked boobs had been too much of a distraction for him and the feeling of his lips sucking on my sensitive nipple too distracting for me. Needless to say I didn't get the answers I wanted that day, nor later as we always found ourselves busy with other things. To be honest his weird obsession with not answering me made me suspicious, weird Ana raised her head, awoken from her slumber, my suspicions turning into paranoia quickly. I tried to calm myself that if there was something fishy, he wouldn't introduce me to them or take me to their place, I trusted Christian enough to know that.

"How is Jose?" Ray asked suddenly, interrupting my conversation with Gia about her two sons – _Did I have stepbrothers now? Weird thought._ -, one of them studying Biological Engineering at MIT, the other working at his own hardware store. I could practically feel Christian tense beside me, my heart skipping beats as I gulped down the sadness suddenly spreading inside me.

"He is fine, Dad. Working and stuff, you know." I answered quickly, trying to smile genuinely, the memories of yesterday flooding my mind.

"I hoped I could see him while we are here, but it seems like we are busy tonight. Maybe next time." Ray said, before turning to Gia. "You have met Jose. Remember?"

She rolled her eyes at him, making me giggle because of her sass.

"I am not oblivious, dear. He was a nice, young man."

I wondered if Jose would remain friends with my father, even though he had ended his friendship with me. I hoped they would stay friends, they got along pretty well after all and I didn't want to stand in their way.

"How long are you staying?" I asked, desperate to change the topic. Gia smiled apologetically at me.

"We have to leave tomorrow since I am working on Monday. Maybe next time we can stay longer. And you two have to visit us, too. We could even go on a fishing trip together somewhere nice where the men fish and we stroll around in the town and swim." She suggested eagerly, Ray nodding in agreement as he gave her a loving look. It was strange seeing him look at a woman like that after years of being single, but it was a nice change and it made me feel happy for him.

Later that day, Ray and Gia excused themselves to go to the hotel they were staying at since they hadn't even checked in yet, Christian announcing that he would gladly drive them so they didn't have to get a cab.

"We will pick you guys up in the evening, too." My boyfriend said, not taking any no's from either of them when they tried to tell him that they would gladly take a cab, he didn't need to drive all the way to their hotel.

"You got yourself a nice, young man, Annie." Ray whispered into my ear as we said our goodbye's for now, making me blush as I felt relieved.

"Although, I would have liked to hear about him before he surprised me at your place so early for a Saturday morning. Did he came over for breakfast?" He added with raised eyebrows, his tone nearly scolding me.

"Dad." I pleaded with a hushed voice, remembering the time my father had caught me making out with my lab partner. He had grounded me for a week and poor Peter was probably still traumatized from the mean glares Ray had given him until he left our home with a red, sweaty face.

"At least he loves fishing." I heard him mumble before he turned around to pick up his and Gia's bags, one last goodbye between me and them shared before they all left, leaving me alone. I took a deep breath when I closed the door behind them, feeling like I hadn't breathed for the last two hours.

Since I hadn't anything to eat yet, I quickly went to my kitchen to prepare myself and Christian something to eat, cursing myself internally as I remembered that I hadn't offered Ray and Gia something, the shock of their visit too intense for me to remember mundane things like food. Maybe I could make up for it tomorrow by inviting them for lunch at my place before they drove back home, the plan sounding nice in my head. That way I also could talk to them both properly, getting to know Gia and giving Ray my silent approval if he really wanted that.

Just when I was whisking two eggs to make an omelet for Christian and me, the door to my apartment was opened, surprising me.

"Christian?" I called out, looking nervously toward the kitchen's entrance where Christian emerged after a few seconds, my keys swinging back and forth on his fingers. He must have taken them with him when he left.

"I hope that's not a problem, I didn't want to ring the door bell and make you open the door for me." He said, nodding toward my keys, before he placed them on the top of my fridge.

"It's cool." I smiled at him, before I returned to my task of whisking eggs, adding the little square pieces of bacon I had cut into the yellow mixture.

A pink blush spread on my face when Christian hugged me from behind, his lips gently kissing my cheek before he tipped my head with his hand, making me look at him, his lips soon finding mine in a slow, sensual kiss, my body ablaze with sweet, numbing desire as we kissed.

"Mhh, Miss Steele. I remember we were right in the middle of something before we were interrupted." He mumbled at my lips, kissing me in between words, his tongue taking a taste of mine, teasing and taunting. I wiggled my butt against his crotch, making him grunt quietly.

"Oh, I remember, Mr. Grey. There was nakedness and a shower involved, I recall." I grinned at him, slowly turning around in his arms, feeling the kitchen counter against the small of my back as I turn around to throw my arms around his neck. His hips were pressed against mine, he was either happy to see me or he was hiding a banana somewhere in his pants.

"Let's get you naked and wet, or wet and naked, whatever comes first." He whispered with darkened eyes, before ravishing my lips in a feverish kiss, lips sucking, tongues swirling, teeth clashing, his hands cupping my behind tightly.

My stomach tightened, although not only caused by lust.

"Christian, I am hungry." I managed to breath out in between kisses, a difficulty since he was not willing to let go off me for longer than two seconds max.

"Let's feed you then." He groaned, suddenly lifting me up with his hands around my thighs. I yelped as I wrapped my legs around him, trusting him enough not to let me fall down.

"For food." I said, gently pushing against his shoulders so he let go off me, a confused expression on his face.

"I'm hungry for food. Breakfast. We haven't have anything to eat yet." I explained slowly, laughing at his puzzled face, his cheeks flushed and his eyes a dark gray.

"Oh." He let out, smiling apologetically. "Okay, food first then."

* * *

Christian's parents lived in a three story building with a lime green exterior and dark wooden windows and doors, fairy lights wrapped around the wooden pillars of the patio where a brazier was slowly cooking our food with sizzling flames. A long, ceramic table with comfy, padded chairs placed around it was occupying center stage, a vase full of gaudy, orange flowers, which I wasn't able to name since my botanic knowledge was below zero, was the only decoration in between plates, cutlery and half-empty glasses full of the delicious red wine Christian's father had offered us.

"A rare vintage." He had proudly announced as he poured our drinks, telling us the story about his last visit to Europe where he had found a small, sublime vineyard in between the green hills of Tuscany. Gia had given all of her attention as he spoke, his words and gestures charming, it was obvious that Christian had gotten his charm from his father.

After spending our day hidden underneath the covers of my bed, silly smiles on our faces, our limbs crossed with each other, skin touching skin, gentle kisses exchanged, our muscles tired from the love making marathon (without interruptions this time), Christian and I had gotten up to get ready for tonight. A quick shower and half an hour in front of my dresser in which I had finally decided to put on the red dress I had worn on our first date - "You don't know how much I wanted to peel that dress off your body." Christian had said with darkened eyes, his tone making me melt -, we were ready to go, Ray and Gia waiting for us to pick them up.

Christian and I had talked about my father's surprise visit, something my boyfriend had wished to be on a day he wasn't naked and in my shower, but in the end he had earned Ray's approval by knowing how to fish. I guessed Ray had his priorities set, the well being of his daughter a sore loser against the holy act of fishing, something that Christian laughed about, defending my father with the wisdom that _a man who knows fishing knows how to take care of his woman_. I had rolled my eyes so hard that I had actually feared that they would get stuck somewhere inside my head.

My smartass boyfriend had noticed my prudence and reticence toward our surprise visitors at first, my expression impassive and my answers short and polite. He had asked me if I wasn't approving of Ray dating someone, which wasn't the reason for my weirdness toward Gia and Ray. I had understood that my rude behavior was more caused by shame than jealousy or disapproval, I had felt ashamed because I hadn't bothered meeting the new woman in my father's life even though he had been asking me to do so on different occasions. Ray wasn't the man to be persistent since he never wanted to push people, he simply asked for something and if you didn't answer in his favor, he dropped the topic immediately.

By bringing Gia to meet me after weeks of waiting for me to visit them, Ray had shown me that this woman was immensely important to him, he had overcame his usual behavior for the sake of his happiness, wanting the two women in his life to meet and to like each other.

I owed so much to him, he had been there for me while my biological father had left me and my mother, he had been the one helping me with homework, he had been the one helping me up whenever I fell, he had loved me unconditionally. If he wanted to have Gia in his life, I would welcome her with open arms because I owed him that much.

"You will get the chance to get to know her when we visit them this summer." Christian had comforted me when we were lying on my bed, his arms around me, my head on his chest.

"Still doesn't change the fact that I ignored a simple thing he asked me to do." I had mumbled, feeling ashamed since I never had a real excuse for not visiting my father.

"Ray doesn't seem like the type to hold a grudge. Besides he loves you too much."

Christian's words had been proven right when we picked up my father and his girlfriend from their hotel, both of them cheerful and all smiles as we talked, the former sadness in Ray's eyes gone. I had taken momentarily comfort from his light mood, promising myself to have a heart to heart talk with him as soon as possible, for now concentrating on the events of tonight.

Since I had been too busy with being worried about my surprise guests, my nervousness caused by the official dinner at Christian's parents had been forgotten mostly, only emerging from the dark corner it was hiding in when Ray and Gia left. I had known that I was being silly since I practically knew his mother already, one out of two were already a fan of mine, but the worries that they would see me as a wanton teacher who went after the single fathers of her students had remained, only leaving my mind when Grace and Carrick greeted us at the door of their home with smiles on their faces, their words welcoming.

"Daddy!" Ellie's squeal had been loud and surprising as she came running toward us with a cheeky grin on her flushed face, her little arms wrapped around Christian's legs when she hugged him tightly, her father giving her a puzzled expression. From Friday evening until Sunday Ellie usually was at her mother's place, her presence had been another surprise.

"Mummy brought me so I could have food with you tonight. She said to Nana that if this is a family event I need to be here, too." The little girl had answered our unspoken questions, eagerly introducing herself to Gia and Ray who looked totally enchanted with her. She quickly had become the center of attention, entertaining us with her little anecdotes, the mood around the table light, our parents getting along, the atmosphere cozy and intimate while I relaxed more and more, only the sudden mention of Elena making me stiff in my seat.

"It was really considerate of Elena to bring Ellie, right, Christian?" Carrick suddenly said, throwing an intense look over the edge of his glass toward his son before he took a sip of the wine he had praised so much. Something in his tone made me frown, a chill crawling down my spine as I felt Christian tense beside me, his jaw clenching as he pushed an answer through his lips.

"Oddly I can't remember Elena being considerate before, but yes, for once she did something nice."

Grace frowned at her husband, stopping in the middle of the action to serve some salad to Gia with whom she had quickly bonded. The light mood was gone, the Grey's having an intense stare down while the rest of us was left with confusion. _Leave it to Elena to ruin the mood without being present._

Carrick laughed at his son's words, my guts tormenting as I suddenly became aware of the tension between father and son caused by the sudden mention of Christian's ex, the look in Carrick's eyes confusing me as he stared daringly at my boyfriend. Christian hold his ground as he didn't look away, a nervous twitch of his mouth giving away his internal battle of self-control.

"Dad." He let out in a warning tone, fisting his hand tightly.

"I don't know why you are so tense, son. Elena has always been nice if you knew how to treat her and she always knew how to master the art of honor. She declined my invitation to join us tonight even, thinking that it would be inappropriate if she sat at the same table as your girlfriend. Ridiculous, since she always will be a part of the family." Christian's father went on, ending his words with his grayish green eyes looking into mine, the message loud and clear, _Elena was still welcome in his eyes._

I didn't get it, his sudden mood switch irritating me to the point of frustration. The evening had been going so well, their welcome had been warm, he had talked to me all evening while asking me questions about me, sounding really interested, but now he was giving me an obvious warning. A warning for what exactly? Did he think I would cut off Elena from Ellie's life completely? He doesn't know me well enough to assume that I am that kind of a selfish person, I thought to myself, suddenly my nerves burning with anger.

 _Why the fuck did he feel the need to publicly speak about this? In front of my father out of all the people._

Christian seemed to share my anger when he suddenly stood up, throwing his napkin onto the table, before he grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the other shocking looking participants of what was supposed to be a wonderful night, shouting a quick excuse to Gia, Ray and his mother over his shoulder. I was glad that I had chosen to wear flats tonight, he was flouncing away with me stumbling after him, his hand tightly holding mine.

"Christian." I said quietly, scared to speak louder since I had the ridiculous idea that it would anger him more. He ignored me completely, muttering something to himself as he dragged me over the meadow leading from the house to what looked like a small river entering the green and tall forest. The smell of wet grass filled my nostrils the closer we got to the calm water, far enough from our parents for Christian to curse loudly.

"Fuck." He roared facing the river, ruffing his hair as I watched him with widened eyes. His rage took me by surprise.

"Christian?" I whispered tenderly, walking toward him and gently patting his shoulder. His muscles tensed underneath my touch. My heart clenched as I feared that he would push me away.

"I am sorry." Christian whispered, shaking his head. "For my father's behavior and my sudden outburst."

"It's okay." I replied softly, earning a loud groan from him.

"No, it's not fucking okay. You are clever enough to know that he meant to hurt you with his words."

"Or maybe he was trying to protect his family." I suggested carefully, trying to defuse the situation. I didn't want this evening to end in a fight because of me, especially not while Ray was present. My former anger was vanishing slowly, I was looking for an explanation in Carrick's direct behavior. The possibility that he was simply trying to protect his granddaughter by making sure that I didn't scare away her mother, was possible and plausible, although he had a weird way to do so. Just like he didn't know me well enough to judge me, I also didn't know him to criticize him.

Christian snorted, an unattractive and angry sound as he looked at me with darkened eyes, a displeased frown curling his lips.

"That's not how my father works, Ana. He is.."

"He is what?" I asked with furrowed brows as he didn't continue, only shaking his head with closed eyes.

"Christian?" I crossed my arms at my chest as I waited for his answer, something I never got since we were interrupted by someone else saying his name from afar. When we both looked up we saw Carrick slowly approaching us, a quiet curse leaving Christian's mouth.

"It's rude to leave the table, son. Especially when we have guests." He lectured in a fatherly tone, once again all smiles and charm. "Your mother is serving dessert soon, you know she hates tardiness."

"Rudeness lies in the family, you have certainly proved that tonight." Christian answered him with his gray eyes burning with rage, my heart skipping a beat as I feared that they would fight. His father kept his cool, though.

"You know me, son. I have a sharp tongue, something I know to apologize for." Carrick tilted his head to one side with pity visible in his expression. The more I looked at him, the more confused I felt, wanting to escape his presence so I could come up with a logical explanation for his strange behavior. Unlike what he had said, he didn't apologize to any of us, just smiling before his next words.

"Please, son. Let's talk about this another time. Your mother and our guests are waiting." He sounded sincere, as if he really cared about the feelings of the others, but I knew better than to fall for it.

"Come, Ana." Christian said in a cool tone after giving his father a hard stare, reaching for my hand before his father stopped us from walking away with a raised hand.

"Why don't you go ahead and let me talk to Anastasia for a second? Ellie was asking for you, she wanted to follow you two but we thought you might want to talk alone. She is getting cranky."

The mention of his daughter had Christian's full attention, after giving his father another hard stare he slowly walked away, leaving me alone with Carrick. I didn't particularly fancy being left alone with him after his obvious try to hurt me – at least that was what Christian called it -, but I put on my big girl panties, feigning braveness as I turned to my boyfriend's father. I decided to beat him with blunt honesty, he seemed to opt for that himself whenever he could.

"I know that Elena is still a part of the family. You didn't need to remind me of that." I sounded firm, surprisingly convincing even, something he noted with raised eyebrows.

A small grin curled his lips as his eyes twinkled with smugness.

"Good for you to know your place then."

"My place?" I gasped, stepping away from him as the need to slap him aroused instantly.

"Yes, your place. You are not Ellie's mother, you are just Christian's boyfriend and if I ever find out that you are trying to sabotage my granddaughter's relationship with her mother, I will make sure that my love-blind son sees the truth before he dumps you. Ellie has suffered enough without you interfering."

 _You son of a bitch. How dare you?_

Tears filled my ears as I comprehended his words, the reality harsh. I was done being nice and polite.

"You don't know me, Mr. Grey. I don't want to interfere in anything, I don't want to ruin Ellie's relationship with her mother, I simply want her and Christian to be happy and I would be happy myself if they let me be a part of it. That's all. Why are you implying that I want to cut out Elena out of her daughter's life?" My voice trembled as I spoke, my face flushed with anger. "From what I have heard she takes care of that herself. Isn't she the one setting her priorities on her career mostly? Isn't she the one who didn't want her own daughter's custody? I don't know how any of that could be good for a child."

"You know nothing, Ms. Steele. You only know the lies my son has fed you. Ask him why they broke up. Ask him what could have made Elena do the mistakes she has done. I doubt that he will be honest with you, he never really liked to face his own mistakes. Blaming others is so much easier." Carrick spat with a stern tone, his brows furrowed as his eyes darkened into a green color, changing with his mood.

"Is it Christian's fault that she cheated on him?" I asked, stunned by his words. What was his problem with me and Christian? He was his father, for God's sake. Why did he protect the woman who had cheated on his son?

"No, but it's his fault for giving up so easily. That's what my son does, Ms. Steele. He gives up with the first hint of problems, just like he will do with you sooner than later. Mark my words."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to carmelroads CAUSE SHE FREAKING PUBLISHED HER FIRST BOOK TODAY!**

 **GO CHECK OUT "SHIPWRECKED" BY CARMEL RHODES ON THE KINDLE STORE IF YOU WANT STEAMY LEMONS AND HER AWESOME WRITING!**

 **Carrick is a douche, right? We will soon find out the reasons for his douchyness. Patience ;)**

 **Speaking of which, it's the time of the year again where Meli takes a month off writing for her vacation. Officially, I will not be writing or uploading until October since I won't have much time to write, but who knows maybe muse will kiss me while I am lying at the beach with my cocktails and the sun kissing my skin.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xoxo**


	25. Chapter 25

**Nearly 3 months later. Oops.**

 **You do love me, right? Right? Riiiiight?**

 **Once again NOT BETAED something I keep reminding you all, but some people still feel the need to nag. Whatever. It's 4am, I have a thesis to write tomorrow, so this is all you get. This or nothing.**

* * *

 **25\. From pain and issues**

"So, I have something to tell you."

Christian's voice didn't sound like his usual relaxed self, nor like his dirty words whispering low vox which was famous to make my toes curl and my panties go _woosh_ down my legs, both version I would have preferred over the careful tone he had going on now on the other end of the phone. I sat up from my comfortable position on my couch – my back leaning against all the pillows I had, one of my legs stretched out in front of me, the other one on the backrest and a shamelessly big package of salted chips on my lap -, alarmed with the sudden mood change, we had just been talking about my day with Gia and Ray before he had changed the topic tragically dramatic.

On their last day at Seattle, I had invited my father and his girlfriend to have a Sunday brunch at this cute cafe Andrea had recommended me a long time ago, its ambiance had been relaxed and cozy, a great opportunity for me to remedy my weird behavior of yesterday and get to know the new woman in my father's life. Just like Jose had told me, Gia was really nice, attentive and thoughtful, witty while making jokes, and generally pleasant to be around, her eyes twinkling with love when she looked at my old pa'. Ray practically had beamed when he had watched us talk, obviously pleased with the fact that we were getting along well, his hugs and words of goodbye's at the end of our time warm and all smiles, my promise to visit them soon engaging them in a conversation about what they could cook for me and Christian as they got in their cab, me waving after them before I made my way home, my shoulders slumped as I recalled their last interaction with my boyfriend.

Things hadn't been exactly at ease when I returned to table for desserts with Carrick, the asshole, in tow, trying to mask my anger fueled puzzled expression, his threat still harshly ringing in my ears. Grace, _God bless her soul_ , had desperately tried to save the evening with her sweet words, but the frowns on our faces hadn't left, not even the otherwise delicious apple pie she served had brightened up our moods. Her husband had simply enjoyed his wine and his pie, humming as he ate and making his granddaughter giggle with his words, Ellie far too young to notice the tension among the adults. I had wanted to stab my boyfriend's father with a fork and ask him about the cryptic things he had told me before dropping me like a hot potato, Christian oblivious to the things his father had told me, or more like implied, about his relationship with his ex. I had kept my mouth shut, promising myself to be the bigger person here, all the things Carrick had accused me with not true anyway, so what did I care what he had to say?

 _But I had cared about the things Christian was apparently keeping from me._ Well, if that was the truth anyway. Could I really trust Carrick, the guy who obviously was enjoying hurting me and having the last word, out of all the people? If there was something to worry about between Christian and his ex, something about Christian's behavior that might magically make him the villain in the _Elena-cheated-on-Christian_ story, would he tell me the truth? It was no secret that my boyfriend wasn't much of a talker, rather distracting me with sex, something to eat, more sex, with anything basically than answering my never ending questions, even if they were about what I would call simple things.

Whatever Carrick had tried to achieve last night, it had at least left me more irritated than ever. _Confused, a tiny little bit angry and mostly paranoid_ , I had left the house my otherwise sweet boyfriend had grown up in – something his mother had been more forthcoming about than him -, Christian and I first dropping off Ray and Gia at their hotel, the conversation tainted with the absurdity of that night, the elephant in the room not addressed until we drove off from the parking lot of the hotel.

"I'm sorry about.. what happened." Christian had mumbled, his hands tight around the steering wheel, his eyes darting to the rear-view-mirror where he could see Ellie snoring in the backseat with one unicorn plushie in her hand.

"It's not your fault." I had whispered carefully, feeling queasy with the humiliation I had gone through, my mind searching comfort in the promise to hide myself underneath my covers and let out the frustration via sleep.

"It is. I should have prevented that, I should have talked with him before it happened. I should have known he would do something like that, he loves to ruin my happiest moments by mentioning Elena. I can handle that, I ignore it mostly, but you didn't have to go through that, for fuck's sake." He had said with a frown on his face, hissing his ex's name as he spoke. "It's not even personal, I mean it's not about you. It's about me and him not being in agreement in this issue."

Issue. Elena was still an issue between him and his father. _What kind of fucking issue could his ex still be?_ I had no doubts about Christian's tender feelings for me and his spiteful ones for his ex, so if that was not the case, if that wasn't what Carrick had meant with _my son is feeding you lies,_ then what the fuck he had meant? He had said I shouldn't even think about trying to sabotage Ellie's relationship with her mother, which I had never intended to do, he had excused Elena's betrayal of trust by blaming Christian and his supposedly habit of running away from problems instead of facing them. _But what did that mean in combination with me ruining Ellie's relationship with Elena?_

I knew Christian had meant well that night as he tried to explain his father's motives to me, but quite honestly his words had only made me feel nauseous, my stomach burning as something hot and sticky bubbled inside it. For once I had been the one shying away of talking and running away from my problems, _I could Carrick hear laugh in my head practically,_ wishing Christian a good night when he dropped me off at my place, using Ellie as an excuse when he invited me over to his, needing the isolation in my apartment. Beside I had been sure that spending time with Christian would have made the hot, bubbling ball of anxiety and frustration in me explode, all the questions I had probably once again distracted with kisses and his dick.

Ray had used Gia's absence when she went to the restrooms at brunch, asking me if everything was alright and what was the problem with Christian's father who had seemed nice if you ignored his obvious threats toward me. I had tried to bamboozle him with my most believable smile I could manage, telling him that Carrick had no problem with me, it was something between him and his son, _it totally doesn't concern me, Dad._ I had been convincing enough apparently, Ray dropped the subject immediately, telling me that I could always talk to him if there was any issue.

 _Issue. There is that word again. Grrr._

"You sound worrisome. Everything alright?" I asked my boyfriend on the other end of the phone carefully, back in the now and then. I sat up completely, playing my neglected bag of chips on my coffee table, my stomach bubbling again.

"You guys have a teacher parents conference thing on Tuesday night, right?" He asked me, the nervousness in his voice audible.

"Yeah, Leila informed me this morning. Wait. How do you know that?" I frowned, the disquieting feeling intensifying as I couldn't remember telling Christian about Leila's last minute decision to organize an emergency meeting with the parents regarding this year's graduation, something she had texted us all about just this morning. I had refrained to talk to Christian all day beside the quick texts we send each other, Ellie hadn't returned to her mother last night so I had decided to give him and her some alone time since we spent nearly all weekends she was home together. Of course, it was also a great opportunity to muse about yesterday's event thoroughly, pissing on my parade so to speak.

"Well, Leila called the parents today apparently and since usually my ex wife attends organizational stuff, she called Elena instead of me." Christian said with a tired sigh, I could imagine him scratching his neck with a distressed expression on his face like he usually did when he had something displeasing to say.

 _Fuck._

 _Punch right into Anastasia's face, her body crashing into the wall where she slowly melts into a pathetic puddle of misfortune._

What had I expected? Not to meet her ever again? Of course not since I was used to luck never being on my side of things, but at least I had hoped some time would pass after last night's disastrous events where I found out that my boyfriend's own father was a big fan of his cheating ex wife. _Yay._ By now I knew better than let Elena disarm me or intimidate me with her always flawless looks or her booming business, these were not qualities I was fearing, but the queasy-ness caused by Carrick was weakening my MO, especially since knowing Elena meant knowing that she would use this particular opportunity to mess with me like the evil snake she was, at my workplace out of all the places, to make matters worse.

"Ana? You still there?" Christian asked, sounding worried when I didn't externally react to his words.

"Yeah. Um, sure. What did you want to tell me?" I asked, biting my bottom lip to the point of sharp pain. The chips I had been eating felt as heavy as stones in my stomach now.

"Well, I wanted to warn you. I tried to talk her out of it, but unfortunately even if I did, I couldn't attend that meeting since Jason and I will be working extra shifts this week. The boss asked us weeks ago, I can't cancel now. But I could ask my mother..."

I interrupted his rambling, feeling more silly than ever and mostly embarrassed because my boyfriend was thinking that I couldn't face his ex professionally or at least be mature about it, but mostly because I didn't want him to think that I was running away from a confrontation with Elena. I didn't want her to have that kind of power over me.

"Christian, it's okay. You don't have to bother your mother with this. I am sure I will be able to handle spending an hour or two with your ex, talking about boring graduation details." I tried to sound as convincing as possible, even forcing a smile he couldn't see just because I had read once that smiling while feeling down improved your mood. I guessed it only worked if you also stopped musing about whatever made you feel down, a smile alone wouldn't work.

"You know how she can be like." He muttered, adding a quiet curse followed by something falling down. "Shit. I spilled beer on my carpet."

"Use mild detergent and warm water to wipe it away. And don't worry about Elena. I won't let her get to me."

Easier said than done, I soon found out. Tuesday after work when Leila and I were preparing the conference room with lit candles and the goodies she had bought from the bakery just for this occasion, the atmosphere in the room felt cozy and relaxed while I was not. Even the delicious smells of freshly brewed coffee and tea couldn't brighten me up, my anxiety crawling inside me up my tender nerves where it left scratch marks, vibrant red and aching. Leila had apologized for calling Elena, but she hadn't have another choice since she was enlisted as number one contact for organizational matters, something Christian didn't have patience for, her ambitions and OCD like habit to plan and rule over any organization making Elena a perfect candidate for this job. I had assured Leila that I wasn't angry with her, it wasn't her fault in the end, but secretly I was cursing her for planning a meeting, asking myself why this couldn't be handled over the phone, a silly thought and mostly selfish.

"Don't let the bitch smell your fear, Ana." Andrea said strictly, her hands at her hips as she reminded me of my own mantra over and over again, being as supportive as always. "The second she is in here act like she isn't, you hear me? And address her with her surname all the time just to piss her off."

"Yes, mother." I said with an eye roll, chewing on a cookie, the first rounds of parents already arrived and mingling while we waited for the rest. Since the day Christian and I had made our relationship official, I was basking in the judging and slightly jealous eyes of some parents, especially his own fan club made out of mummies who should know better than swoon over a man publicly. Having Leila's approval made me feel more confident in my blushing skin whenever I felt stares on me, ignoring them now a main part of my job. Apparently one mother even had called Leila to inform her about my nonprofessional behavior regarding one father, but my boss and friend had quickly informed her that _Miss Steele is a professional who already asked for the permission and approval to date the father of one of her students, there isn't anything to be concerned, Mrs. Davis. Go take care of your own cheating husband instead of being nosy about the love life of others_ , she had added in her mind with a smug grin, telling me this with a proud expression. I had appreciated her support.

"And don't fumble while talking. You look insecure when you do that. Look into her eyes if needed and talk loud and clear, no mumbling or stuttering." Andrea said firmly, the opening of the conference door behind me making her look over my shoulder with peaked interest, an icy frown plastering on her face immediately. I followed her look curiously, the last bite of my cookie still in my mouth as I chewed, and there she was, _Elena Lincoln, perfection extraordinaire._

Dressed in a fitting red blouse and tight black jeans, she scanned the room with intent eyes, her lips pursed as she stood higher than most of us thanks to her heels, her eyes squeezing as our looks crossed, a cold smile curling her lips as she nodded at me.

I gulped down my cookie as if it was a hot stone, the remaining crumbs of it proudly showed off in front of my chest. _Fuck._ I hadn't wanted to look like a mess when she appeared, but here I was brushing off crumbs from my shirt and trying to put on the mask of _Ana: The Professional_ precisely planned by Andrea.

"I think we are complete now." Leila said with a smile, looking around in the room as she stood at the head of the table, her hands on its wooden surface. "Why don't you all take a seat? Oh, and feel free to get yourself a cup of coffee or tea. And please enjoy some of the cookies. We have also water, sparkling and still, if you would like."

Chairs squeaked against the linoleum floor when the mums and dads made themselves comfortable, soon cups with hot drinks in front of them, the chewing sounds soon filling the room. I tried to follow Andrea's rules to ignore Elena and only look her way if it was necessary, but God knew I was a weakling, my eyes taking notice that she had only picked up a glass of sparkling water, non sip taken yet as the rim was free of any remains of her lipstick. She was talking with no one else than Mrs. Davis, the woman who had thought she could snitch on me by telling Leila about my relationship with Christian, confidence oozing out of every one of her moves, her smiles warm and surprisingly sincere. It seemed like the rat and the snake were best friends. _Interesting._

"Stop starring at her like a creepy teenager." Andrea whispered beside me, kicking my calf with her foot. I turned my head to her, apologizing with a smile and letting her engage me in a conversation about the guy she had met last weekend at a club.

"He was cute and he could dance. Both qualities I am looking in a man." She nodded to herself after sipping on her coffee, her lips pursed. "We exchanged numbers, so I am waiting for him to call me. He better does, otherwise I am packing my stuff and leaving with our unborn children."

"I'm sure he will call for those kids. Any good not yet father would." I said with an eye roll, thankful for the distraction.

"They will be blond and cute, just like us." She said with a dreamy look, sighing.

"I thought you didn't dig blond guys." I frowned, remembering her words very well. _Whenever I have a blond dude lying underneath me, all I can see is one of my relatives. And I might be crass, but not that crass._

"Well, I dig him. We can dye his hair if needed." Andrea shrugged, her solution oriented behavior making things easy and simple.

Leila's polite cough interrupted the conversations going on around the U-shaped table setting we had arranged after the kids had left, her intention to catch the attention of everyone succeeding. I straightened my shoulders, being all professional and such, ready for the meeting as ready as I could get with the vibrant presence of my boyfriend's ex.

"As you all know, we are here tonight to discuss some organizational matters regarding this year's graduation ceremony. Me and my colleagues have already planned a few things we would all like to present you since we need your approval and support in them. If you remember I already gave you a few information about that on the phone."

The parents nodded to themselves as they watched Leila with attentive eyes, one of them raising his hand as if we are in class, a thought that makes me snort silently.

"You said something about a play. Would you need help with decorating and such?" The man asked, his green eyes hidden behind a pair of specs.

Leila nodded with a smile.

"Exactly, Mr. Johnson. We would need your help with decorations, especially in the production of that."

"The production of decorations? You need our help for that?" Elena asked out of the blue, one eyebrow high on her forehead, the fact that she didn't raise her hand to ask for permission to talk politely not missed by her audience.

I tensed when her voice touched my ears, Andrea kicking me underneath the table again as a warning. _Don't let the bitch smell your fear._

"Yes, Ms. Lincoln. I was just going to elaborate. Unfortunately, our institution doesn't have the financial possibilities to finance the mandatory objects like costumes." Leila went on with a no nonsense tone, once again interrupted by the brazen snake. I fumed silently, my eyes starring daggers at her while she didn't look away from Leila with a daring expression on her stupid face.

"You want us to do what? Pay for the stuff you should be able to finance? After all we all pay you and your institution quite a bit of money."

I wanted to stab her with a fork now. A very dull fork so it would be even more painful. And then I would eat the rest of the cookies on the plate two people on my right which was looking more and more inviting the angrier I got.

I was close enough to hear the tiny sigh Leila let out as she straightened her shoulders, the professional expression on her face hiding the silent _fuck you_ in her voice as she spoke, the tension thick in the room.

"Actually, we had something else on mind." She made a dramatic pause, looking around in the curious eyes of parents, something Elena regarded with pursed lips, her eyebrows still on her forehead.

"Since we didn't want to burden you with the aspect of additional costs, me and my colleagues were thinking about producing the needed costumes and decorations ourselves. The set will be outside so we won't need any lights and the microphones and speakers would be sponsored by a friend of mine. The only thing we are asking of you is your support in the making of clothes and decorations. As you know we are short on staff and any help we can get is appreciated."

An approving mumbling went through the room, something what made me and my colleagues relax immediately since we had feared an outburst like Elena's from other people, too. Said woman wasn't looking too pleased, simply nodding with crossed arms as she leaned back in her seat, round one won by us.

She kept her silence as we talked about the band we had organized thanks to Elliott, Kate's boyfriend, who knew someone who was specialized with songs for children. They had agreed to do the job for free since they were new in business, hoping to advertise themselves among the parents of Bellevue, future bookings for kids' birthday parties their main aim. Elliott even was lending us speakers from his bar, he and his crew would set up the whole thing for us, something that made us totally Team Elliott.

The more approval we got and the more parents were participating, the happier I felt, even the occasional stares I got from Elena didn't piss on my parade, her presence ignored like I had planned to do. She was becoming a tiny blonde speck in the far, far away background of my self-doubt ridden mind, my mood blooming as one of the parents started a fire of approvals and agreements when he proposed to sponsor the food and drinks, he knew a guy or something. Soon enough we had a full buffet set, Leila's eyes sparkling as she took notes, in her mind probably counting all the money she had saved.

"What play would the kids perform?" One woman with puffy cheeks asked, her brown eyes looking questioningly at us. I could feel my cheeks heat, the topic I had been apprehensive about finally coming up like an uninvited flue.

"One of our teachers, Ms. Steele, has written a play herself since we thought we could insert core values easier into a self-written play." Leila explained, giving me a side glance.

I coughed lightly, before I spoke, my cheeks flushed.

"I wrote a play about a caterpillar which's cocoon gets stolen by an angry bee. It tries to regain it with the help of his friends and in the end it transforms into a butterfly. I initiated values like honesty, trust and self-esteem, all things kids should learn at this age."

Elena didn't miss the opportunity to mess with me, just like I had assumed. Her eyebrow was back on her forehead, her painted fingernails slowly tapping against the wooden surface of the table in front of her.

"Kindergarten is surely quite some time ago, but if I recall all of these _very important_ values are in the classics, too. What is wrong with a classic fairy tale? We were all raised with them and we turned out fine, didn't we?" She gave me a daring look, a quiet whispering going around as people were watching us intently. I cringed internally when I heard the word _showdown_ coming from somewhere on my left, the embarrassment I felt otherworldly. _Don't let the bitch smell your fear, Ana._

I could do this, I totally could do this, _come on, girl._ Taking a silent, deep breath, I straightened my shoulders, trying to sound as confident as possible when I spoke.

"Yes, all the classic fairy tales do in fact have these values. But in the meantime they are also full of hints forcing gender roles and a general behaving pattern on children, something that subconsciously taints their belief system and daily behavior." I gulped down the hard knot in the back of my throat, thinking that my arguments were clear enough for us to move on to the next topic, but when I noticed Elena's continuous waiting stare, I went on, adding a touch of smart ass to my voice.

"I didn't want to force upon the kids that characters with certain type of traits and surroundings are either only evil or only good, humans are far more complex than that in the end. For example, studies show that most of the fairy tales underline the importance of _female purity_ , a concept that somehow only can be tainted with prenuptial sex. If you remember, most of the princesses are kept somewhere they can't be _touched_ , ergo stay virgins as if virginity is the only way a woman can be _pure._ They are always nice and polite, and _yes,_ they present core values like honesty and trust, but that also forces upon the kids that only the innocent, innocence in the sense of purity, can have those traits. On the contrary, the villains are usually stepmothers, non virgins, divorced, implying that only the first marriage is pure and that a divorced woman is evil."

The silence that followed was embarrassing, all eyes looking from me to Elena who looked like she was swallowing something bitter, the bitter moment of public humiliation – to be honest, not something I had planned to do, but something I had ended up with in my frantic talk about fairy tales, the nerd in me taking over my rational, sweet teacher side.

" _Oh snap."_ Andrea mumbled beside me, low enough only for me to hear, her foot kicking me repeatedly underneath the table, her approval obvious in the way her shoulders shook as she suppressed her laughter.

I could literally hear the blatant thoughts of the people around me, some surprised that little Miss Steele really had the balls to openly attack fierce business woman Elena Lincoln, some wondering what said business woman do next, and some brazen ones oozing joy as they thought about the wild round of gossip they would have as soon as this meeting was over.

I didn't know how to feel, I wasn't the type to feel happy about publicly attacking someone with cryptic words or hidden messages, but I had to confess that one part of me, the one part I usually ignored, felt some type of justice when Elena got to taste her own medicine for once. _What done is done, girl. Unclench now and bask in your small victory._

Elena took a deep breath, her fingernails tapping against the table once again, a fake grin plastered on her face as she suddenly freed herself from the sour expression my unintentional attack had caused.

"And yet you portray bees as the villain. You know that there is a population attributable risk for bees, right? Aren't you forcing upon the kids that bees are evil just because they can sting if irritated?" She asked, eyebrow on forehead again. I hated that eyebrow with passion.

"If I understood you right, then you have written a play that does all the things you accuse fairy tales with. It forces upon the kids that characters with certain type of traits and surroundings are either only evil or only good. I believe even animals are far more complex than that." Elena went on, chuckling to herself as she swept one strand of hair away from her face.

 _Don't let her know that she affects you, Ana._

"Well, if you would have let me explain, I would have told you that my play is far more complex, too. I never said that the bee is evil or does what it does for the sake of spite. It has a story itself, reasons even." I deadpanned, as professional as I could be, my poker face surprisingly well. As much as I was irritated with her behavior, I had to give her credits for being the queen of poker faces, something I quickly copied.

"A misunderstood villain. How original." Elena noted with a sorry smile, earning an agreeing giggles as she looked to Mrs. Davis, the snitchiest snitch of all snitches.

"I think Ms. Steele was saying that the bee isn't the villain. And from what I have read of the play, there is no real villain in it." Jose suddenly spoke up from his seat three people on my right, his voice firm and taking no prisoners. "If it pleases you and gives you peace of mind, I would gladly send a copy of it to you by tomorrow."

I wished I could have recorded that part to show Christian that Jose was truly one of the best friends you could have, standing up for me not just because we were colleagues, but because he always protected the ones he loved. My heart swelled with the gratitude I felt.

With Jose's intervention the topic about Elena's doubts about my play was dropped, Leila deliberately lead it to the costumes, something that of course also caused more discussions. Elena used every opportunity to nag, telling us that bought costumes would cost us less time, but also pointing out that we _of course didn't have the money to pay for them even though the parents were paying us so much money_. She feigned compassion as she asked us if we didn't know how to manage our finances, the mummies of her ex's fan club more and more giving agreeing nods when she spoke, their side bluntly official at the end of the night when Elena had managed to nag about every single thing we had proposed, her smug grin growing bigger and bigger the more we tried to explain our situation to her gang of mummies. Her joy was obvious, as obvious as my distress, the night seeming to be endless and my stomach clenching painfully whenever my play was brought up again.

"We will need to take measures of the kids, firstly Ellie, though, since she has three different costumes." Leila nodded to herself as she scribbled something down on her notebook, Andrea chirping in about her mother being able to do that for us so it would be done professionally.

"Why does Ellie need three costumes?" Elena asked with a puzzled expression, interrupting Andrea just when she was talking about her mother being our volunteer seamstress, earning an icy look from my friend which she ignored like a pro.

"She will be playing the caterpillar, the butterfly and its cocoon, after all." Leila answered with one raised eyebrow.

Another _oh snap_ moment for Team Ana because obviously Elena didn't know about Ellie having the main role, her 'O' shaped mouth and narrowed eyes giving her away. I tried not to grin smugly myself, immediately feeling awful about it because I shouldn't be happy about the miscommunication between Ellie and her mother like Carrick had assumed I did.

Elena pulled herself together pretty quick, credits for that, guarding her insecurities with yet another opportunity to be a bitch and simply nag.

"You didn't have the approval of the parents, but you already gave roles?" She asked with that stupid eyebrow high on her forehead, her icy glare hiding despair I only could spot because I had been intently studying her face when she spoke. The sadness about finding out something about her daughter via us seemed to be sincere, just like the pity I felt, both reactions surprising me greatly.

"It's nothing official." I said, suppressing the need to smile encouragingly because she didn't deserve any encouragement after her behavior, but me being be, I couldn't just let her think her daughter wasn't telling her the most recent actions of her life. "We didn't tell the kids yet, just talked about who would be the best for which role. Ellie is quite a social butterfly, so we thought the metaphor spoke for itself."

The silence was back, just like the painful clenching of my guts as we had another stare down, I was expecting yet another nagging because this was Elena after all, but all I got was a polite nod before she turned her head away from me, her eyes losing the previous sadness, though.

 _Wow. That was a rare unicorn moment. Let us all appreciate it._

At the end of the night, we had decided to announce the roles within the next week so we could start rehearsals soon enough, planning yet another meeting, this time voluntary and only if you had an interest in helping us design the costumes, at Andrea's mother's atelier. Ideas for stage decorations were welcomed, just like the help in making them, Leila once again trusting in my _oh so fantastic_ artistic skills, saying that as the writer I surely had some scenes and backgrounds in mind. _Um... sure, why not?_

I sighed with huge relief when the last parent left, clutching my chest where my heart beat frantically underneath skin, flesh and bones. The girls were all over me the second the door closed behind Mrs. Brown.

"Oh my god, Ana. I have never been prouder with you. Girl, you burned her so hard she was practically on fire." Andrea cheered, pressing a wet kiss to my cheek.

"You are the queen of burns, no, wait. You are the khaleesi of burns, you hear me? 'Cause you burned her like a dragon would do. Do you get it? Khaleesi as in Daenerys as in the mother of dragons?" Leila said as she high-fived Nicole, obviously proud about her _Game of Thrones_ pun.

I rolled my eyes at her, reminding her that I was the one that made her watch _GoT,_ and not the other way around.

"Whatever, nerds. Let's celebrate this success with drinks. First round on me because I am a proud mama tonight. My baby grew up, I am in tears." Andrea joked, brushing off an invisible tear from her cheek as she clutched her chest.

"Actually, I have something important to do tonight." I said with a sorry smile, immediately earning protests, something that was interrupted when suddenly Jose spoke up, reminding us of his presence.

"Good night, girls." He said with a smile, something I welcomed with a smile of my own. The others whined when he was making his way to the door, his jacket hanging over his arm since it was pretty warm outside.

"Oh, come on, Rodriguez. You are absolutely invited to our girl's night out." Andrea said with one hand at her hips, daring him to disagree. "You are coming with us, and so is Ana. Whatever it is you have to do can wait until tomorrow. Tonight is the night of festivities."

I managed to escape my friends' pleas and whines as we made our ways to our cars, Jose following us two steps behind us, having agreed to accompany us to the bar after enduring Andrea's persuasive tactics, my excuse reliable enough for me to get away.

I needed to have an important conversation with my boyfriend and I needed the answers he was squeamish to give, distractions be damned. He needed to tell me what was going on between his father and his ex, and whatever issues there were.

I was tired of issues, especially the blonde, successful business woman type of issues.

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to FSOGFanFictionAddiction for this chapter ;)**

 **No Daddy C present this time, but lots of him next time. Next time will be... soon, hopefully very soon cause I am ready to say good bye to the ol' Daddy C. New Christian's await us all in my future stories.**

 **Until then,**

 **Melii xoxo**

 **P.S. 2 more to go.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Look at me being back within a week. Yay.**

 **This got longer than I expected, i guess you were lucky. But i had to cut out the last part and add it to next chapter which i plan to post next Satuday.**

 **Thanks for the love :-***

 **NOT BETAED!**

* * *

 **26\. From love and hate**

I pulled out my phone after I said goodbye to my friends, watching Andrea's, Leila's and Jose's car getting lost behind the next corner they turned, their party mood obvious through the music coming out of the radio.

My heart skipped a beat as usual when I heard Christian's voice on the other end of the phone, the butterflies flying through my clenched guts, silly happiness mixing with the determination I was feeling.

"Hey." He said sweetly, his smile audible and something that caused the blush on my cheeks. "I missed you."

"Hi." I let out with an odd high tone, carefully leaning back against the hood of my car so I wouldn't collapse thanks to my wobbly knees. "I missed you, too. Are you at home?"

"Yes, I just got home and brought Ellie to bed. How was the parent teacher meeting?" He asked, something rattling in the background before a faucet was running. He was probably washing some dishes, always so domestic and always so hot while doing so. _Focus, Ana!_

"Ah, it was interesting." I said, frowning at myself because interesting was definitely not what I would call the last two hours of my life. _Odd_ maybe, or _unnerving_ even, both adjectives fitting the person who had caused my distress, too. "We achieved a lot, though. So that's nice."

 _I achieved to shut your ex's cakehole like the savage I am apparently. Who knew I had it in me?_

"You know that I will help, too, right? Anything you guys need, I am here for you." Christian offered sincerely on the other end of the phone, making me smile to myself as I looked down to my feet with which I was drawing tiny circles on the dusty floor beneath me, rapt in my thoughts.

"You are sweet. Thank you."

"Anything for you, baby." He laughed softly, that breathy, chilling sound that made goosebumps spread on my body as a shiver went down my spine, my nerves tingling with euphoria and arousal. I wondered if he knew what he was doing to be even if he was absent, but knowing how cocky he could be, I was sure he wasn't clueless about this, maybe even using it in his favor, _that bastard._ My sweet bastard, though.

"Are you at home?" He asked, the water sounds in the background stopping.

I looked up to the sky which was something between blue and purple with a touch of white clouds here and there, day transforming into night with crickets chirping in the trees and the last birds of the day flying through the windless evening sky. I didn't know why but suddenly I was feeling shy in my skin, my determination distracted with Christian being just Christian, something he didn't even cause deliberately for once, ergo not something I could blame him for, I could only blame the stupid _feelings_ I had for him. And probably myself, but that wasn't important, right?

"Um, actually, I am still at the parking lot of _Mrs. Williams'._ And I was wondering if I could come over now." My voice got quieter at the end, a tiny whisper in the silence of the night, something I couldn't explain to myself since I wasn't asking a stranger if I could drop by, I was asking my freaking boyfriend after all.

"Of course, you can come over, Ana. You don't need to ask." He said reassuringly, maybe sensing my stupid shyness since he could read me like an open book. "Did you have something to eat yet? I can order us something from the Italian place you like so much. Or I can cook us something, however you want."

I sighed with relief, the mention of food making my stomach grumble, telling him that takeout was fine because I was craving pizza and I didn't want to wait any longer, using my secret weapon of mentioning that I hadn't eaten anything proper all day, something that always caught his attention, but secretly I had ulterior motives. I needed to talk to him, cooking would cause more distractions just like eating would, but I was only a human being in the end and my body needed food.

In my car, I suppressed the joy that spread in me like thick, sweet waves made out of cotton candy, something I usually felt when I was going to meet Christian, and concentrated on the determination I had gathered earlier, my mind buzzing with all the questions I deserved answers for – also the ones Christian had professionally managed to escape from answering until now. But his squirming behavior was only one more reason to get those answers, if he didn't want to talk about it, it only could be important.

Elena was an issue, he had said so himself, not just between him and her, or between Ellie and them, but also between Christian and his own father who was weirdly on her side of things even though she had cheated on his one and only son. I couldn't imagine Ray being on Christian's side if he ever should cheat on me, in fact I could more imagine Ray going all Rambo on his ass instead. Cheating didn't automatically mean that Elena was evil, of course, but the truth was harsh and blunt, _Elena was a bitch in her daily life, no matter what she did to Christian or not._ Why was Carrick insisting on being her one and only fan? He was no angel himself, he was the worst kind of bitch there was, _the one you never see coming, the one with the thousand masks he uses before he reveals his ugly face_ , at least Elena had the guts to be brutally honest in her bitchiness, not bothering hiding something she carried with pride, credits for that. Did they get along so well that he would even chose her over his own kid? I couldn't possibly imagine that, but I was only naive old me, so what did I know?

 _Nothing because my boyfriend refuses to answer my questions. Grrr._

Ah, passive aggressiveness, just the thing I needed for tonight's mission of getting Christian to talk. It kept up my determination, so I was thankful for that.

I tried not to look too grim when Christian opened the door with his warm smiles and kisses, hugging me tightly, his hand on the small of my back and dangerously close to the hem of my jeans where a small part of my skin was peeking thanks to my risen shirt, He smelled of Christian, manly yet sweet, in the crook of his neck, the light skin there taunting me so I couldn't resist gently kissing it once, twice and a damned third time just because I was an addict.

"Hmm." He let out a soft grunt in the back of his throat, his lips gently brushing over the side of my head as his hands slowly dipped lower, _lower enough to grasp my jeans clothed ass, caressing me in a timid rhythm._

"Hi." I mumbled against his skin, feeling his shoulders shake underneath my arms when he laughed, my fingers in his dark copper curls.

"Hi, too." He whispered, making me giggle like a silly school girl, my determination shrinking underneath the immediate attraction I felt in his presence. I resisted the forbidden fruit like a pro, though, slowly pushing him away, something he noted with a puzzled expression.

"Did you order our food yet?" I asked, distracting him like he usually did with me, before I stepped inside, taking of my shoes as he closed the door behind us. Ellie's backpack and shoes were resting at the foot of a cluttered dresser, I placed my shoes beside hers.

"I did, yes. It should be here in half an hour. Do you want something to drink?" Christian asked when he lead me to his kitchen, the dishes he had washed while we had talked over the phone drying on a kitchen towel spread on the counter. I took my usual seat at the kitchen island, hanging my purse over the back of the stool, as Christian served me a cup of peach flavored ice tea, opening a bottle of beer for himself.

His arms circled me from behind as I took a sip of my drink, my heart fluttering when I felt his lips on my flushed cheeks. I tried not to choke on the delicious ice tea, carefully placing my glass in front of me before I turned around in my seat so I could face him, capturing his lips in a quick kiss. The butterflies went crazy inside me, those damned bastards.

"I really missed you, Miss Steele." Christian mumbled in between kisses, his voice low and full of all the dirty things I would like him to do to me or the other way around, whatever came first.

"I missed you, too." I whispered, his stubbly jaw scratching the skin on my hands as I grasped his face.

"Happy to hear that." He smiled as he rubbed his nose against mine, making me giggle as we Eskimo kissed like silly teenagers.

"Ellie is asleep?" I asked as I laid my arms around his neck, one of his hands playing with a strand of my hair, his expression distracted before he looked into my eyes with his gray ones, oddly intense as usual. A dirty grin spread on his face, the smug bastard resurfacing from wherever he had been hiding.

"Why? Do you intend to be naughty?" He asked, waggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at him, not opposed with the idea of being naughty with him sans clothes, but obviously that wasn't the reason why I had asked if Ellie was sleeping.

"No, I was just wondering why the only person I wanted to see didn't greet me." I feigned disappointment, watching him narrow his eyes at me with pursed lips.

"The only person you wanted to see, huh?" He muttered, although his tone was playful and his eyes were sparkling with humor. "Don't make me jealous of my own daughter, woman."

"Not my problem if you didn't already know about my priorities." I said with a shrug, earning a pinch on my hip, something that made me yelp in surprise.

"As much as I love Ellie being a priority in your life, I can't stop being irrationally jealous about it. What are you doing to me, Miss Steele?" He mumbled, more to himself as he regarded me with a thoughtful look, before capturing my lips in a hasty kiss, wet and wild, deliciously sexy and _just Christian, mmhhh._

All coherent thoughts on my mind went _woosh_ , making room for nothing but arousal and attraction, my toes curling as a feeling as sweet as syrup pulsed inside every limb of mine, numbing and reviving at the same time – a perfect description of our relationship, now that I thought about it. Being with Christian was easy and complicated at the same time, his presence intoxicating and consuming just as liberating and cleansing, his attention distracting and illuminating, his affection addictive and emancipating – he made me feel even, _in balance._

As my heart went bonkers in my chest, he bit my bottom lip gently, kissing it once, twice, his skin blushed just like mine as he let go off me with dazed eyes, mumbling something about dinner first before he reached for his beer to take a long sip. I mirrored his action, needing the smooth and cold liquid to calm me down.

"So, what did you decide on today? Did the play get all thumbs up like I assumed it would?" Christian asked as he sat down beside me on a stool, his was of trying to distract us from the thick tension in the air between us, something I was very grateful for.

"It got mixed reactions at first, but in the end they seemed to be okay with it. They were surprisingly eager to help." I said, telling him about all the food we had planned for the graduation party, Christian once again offering his help.

"And Elena? Did she behave herself?" He asked through clenched teeth, his tone audibly sour when he said his ex's name, something I was used to already. His mood usually took a nosedive whenever Elena came up.

 _Here we go,_ I thought with an internal sigh, preparing myself for the battle.

"Well, I am not going to lie. She was... difficult, but we had a successful evening even though she nagged about everything." I said nonchalantly, shrugging.

Christian's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching.

"I didn't expect anything else from her. I'm sorry you had to go through that because of me." He said, forcing a smile, his hand gently patting my arm, slowly grazing it.

I had to be very careful for my next step, he hadn't yet tried to change the subject and I had to keep it that way. Armoring myself with feigned naivety, I smiled up at him, my words meant to encourage him.

"It's not your fault, really. I would have met her either way, she is the mother of one of my students, after all." I shrugged, taking a sip of my drink. His hand made its way up to my hair, his fingers twirling one brown strand, something that made my scalp tingle.

"She would have been far more affable if she didn't see you just as my new girlfriend. As affable as Elena can be, of course." Christian mumbled, the last part accompanied by an eye roll, before he leaned forward to press a chaste kiss to my cheek, the skin underneath his lips aflame the second he touched me. "I wish you didn't have to meet my ex. I can't even imagine what meeting your ex would be like."

His lips brushed over the skin on my chin, slowly leading up to my jaw, kisses, small and innocent ones, pressed against my heated flesh, his lips finally finding my ear where he whispered flirty words, my heart going bonkers as I grasped the edge of my stool tightly, his distraction showing effects. _Damn._

"You know how jealous I can be. I would see red if I ever met a man who has touched you like I do now." I heard him gulp loudly, crunching with his teeth as he tried to suppress his anger, my lips parted as I could only pant with sudden arousal pulsing inside me. I was a pathetic puppet in his talented hands and that bastard knew it, enjoyed it even.

"You do it better." I whispered with a rough voice, tilting my head back so he had more access of the sensitive skin on my neck where his lips and teeth had their merry way with me, the thought to remind him not to leave a mark crossing my mind, but I was too wrapped in his cocoon of sharp lust to care.

"Still I would beat him to a pulp." Christian grumbled, his hands suddenly grasping my face, making me look into his firm gray eyes, not to be messed.

"You are mine." He said, his brows furrowed as he looked somewhere between bewildered and ecstatic, before his lips crashed against mine, a wet and loud kiss with tongues fighting as they circled each other, teeth clashing, the presence of the stool underneath me appreciated since I couldn't feel my bones and muscles anymore, only his lips on mine of importance.

 _He is doing it again. For fuck's sake._

With every drop of willpower I had, I found the determination of earlier in me again, cursing myself stupid as I really pushed my hot boyfriend and his sinfully erotic lips away from me, wondering if I was mentally stable to teach little children since I wasn't making sense with my decisions lately, or at least with the last one. I tried to convince me that there were far more important things than having dirty, hot, hard, fast, or slow, or any way we liked sex with Christian Grey.

Talking about the _issues_ between us, between him and his father – which wouldn't have concerned me if said father hadn't talked to me about it, unlike his son -, and between him and his ex was more important since it always came up whenever I least expected it. I needed to know more about their story because I needed to know why Carrick would choose his son's cheating ex over his own flesh and blood, I needed to know why Christian was so indignant to talk about said cheating ex, otherwise I would feel like she had the upper hand whenever we met and I didn't really like being kept in the dark since that usually caused paranoia – paranoid me was not fun to be around, trust me.

Christian looked at me like I had grown two more heads, immediately dropping his hands from my face and asking me if everything was alright, if he did something wrong like the gentleman he was.

"No, no, everything is alright. We were just... talking, that's all." I bit my lip, watching one of his eyebrows go high up on his forehead.

"We can talk later." He said with a shrug, going for another kiss which I ditched surprisingly like a pro.

"Oh come on." I scoffed, crossing my arms at my chest as if they could protect me from him ripping off my clothes. "We both know we won't do any talking later if we do this."

"What exactly do you want to talk about?" Christian asked, obviously bemused, standing up from his seat before he strolled over to the other side of the kitchen island, as always defensive. "I didn't know you actually enjoy talking about work and my ex more than you enjoy kissing me. Thanks for that."

 _Is this how it will go? Fine. I can do defensive and angry, too._

"What's with the attitude? You act like I committed a crime." I snapped, furrowing my brows at him. "I know you don't enjoy talking about her or any important _issue_ in general, but the truth is we have to talk about whatever problems she brings along."

"What's with my attitude? What about yours? You know I don't like to talk about her, you know I don't like her name mentioned in my life, and you know exactly what problems she has caused in the past. Can't you understand that I don't like talking about her?" His voice got unnecessarily louder like a bratty child trying to fill the emptiness of his words with the volume of them, my irritation intensifying thanks to his stupid behavior. The skin around my neck and face got fifty shades of red, my natural instinct getting louder myself but I professionally suppressed it when I remembered that Ellie was sleeping upstairs. No need for her to wake up and see her father being an asshole.

"Doesn't mean we don't have to talk about her at one point. Especially when she is ever so present in your life no matter what you try to do since you have a kid with her. Not mentioning her won't make her disappear, Christian." I said, trying to sound reasonable, sighing to calm myself down. "You can't run away from the obvious problems she causes, you can't not and you shouldn't have in the past."

He narrowed his eyes at me, his jaw clenched as he suddenly tilted his head.

"Is that what you think? That I ran away from her or any problems?" He asked, suspiciously quiet as he regarded me through squeezed eyes.

"No, that's not what _I_ think." I squirmed underneath his look, having kept that detail of that night for myself until now. I hadn't wanted to bother Christian with yet another problem he liked to run away from, especially after noticing the tension between him and his father. I was in no way protecting Carrick, God knew he didn't deserve it, but I had been trying to be the bigger person and not nag about him to my boyfriend.

"It's just... Elena is mentioned wherever I go and you keep dodging that topic, so I just got thinking why you aren't talking about her and I don't know, it got me paranoid. Plus now I see her at work regularly, too." I scoffed, slouching my shoulders as I felt weirdly defeated, the firm determination of earlier gone.

"I don't mention her, you are the one keeping mentioning her." Christian argued, pursing his lips at me.

"Well, your Dad mentioned her." I snapped with furrowed brows, not liking the way he sounded like he was accusing me.

"Yes, I told you that..." He began with an eye roll, making me interrupt him, feeling impatient now.

"It wasn't personal, yes. But that's not really an explanation, is it? Beside I wasn't speaking about his little show at the table. He told me to know my place and he practically warned me not to mess with Ellie's relationship with her mother, thinking that somehow I had dubious plans about kicking Elena out of her own daughter's life."

"When did he tell you that? Ana, he shouldn't have talked to you about this. It isn't his business, for fuck's sake." He said, ruffing his hair, the way his eyes darted left and right as he squirmed underneath my look making obvious that he was looking for a way out of this.

 _No chances there, buddy._

I gulped down the hard knot in the back of my throat, suddenly feeling insecure since I got right in the middle of something I had tried to avoid. With a loud sigh, I decided that if I wanted to talk about Elena tonight, I had to mention Carrick in any case since he seemed to be her biggest fan around.

"Well, he did already, didn't he? To be honest, I am not even angry at him because at least he talked to me about Elena. That way I found out that your ex fears that I am trying to replace her in Ellie's life. Something you have never mentioned, something I am not even sure you were aware of. He told me that..., more like warned me even, that I shouldn't ever dare to sabotage Ellie's relationship with her mother. I should also know my place, as if I don't already know it. When I told him that Elena was the only one ruining her relationship with her daughter, he said that I only knew the things you told me about your ex. Then he made weird and vacuous accusations of how you were responsible for your divorce while she was the one cheating on you." I said, letting out my anger, not directed at him or Carrick, not even directed at Elena, just letting out the frustration and intimidation I had suffered in the last few months because of said woman.

I was only human in the end, I needed to release the load of negativity crammed in my body and mind.

"This is why I don't want her mentioned. Don't you see? She causes problems wherever she is. My father shouldn't have attacked you like that and knowing him and Elena, it's easy to assume that she probably has talked to him about her fears, knowing that he wouldn't let it go. Don't you see it? She manipulated my father so he would go against you at the very first dinner we all had together. This is what she does all the time, manipulate and hurt people." He fumed with a clenched jaw.

"Don't you understand, Christian? The way you keep avoiding talking about her and the way your father protected her, it just makes me feel... insecure. As if there is something big you are hiding, as if it affects me, as if it would... change the way things are right now, which is the last thing I want because things are going great with us." I asked with a whiny voice as he looked at me with an apologetic expression on his face, his gray eyes softer now.

"And I know that sounds totally selfish, but I think I get to be selfish for once, especially with something so precious concerned, well this is precious to me, you are precious to me and so is Ellie." I mumbled when he just starred at me with slightly parted lips, his eyes glassy with something I couldn't name, my heart pumping feverish blood through my body, my skin flushing. In my frustration, I had revealed more than I had planned, the cat was officially out of the bag, but I tried not to dwell on the sudden outburst, maybe that was the way things were meant to happen, knowing me I never would have found the guts to actually confess my feelings for him.

 _Well, if you can call_ You are precious to me _a real confession of feelings._

"You are precious to me, too." Christian whispered after what felt like an eternity of painful silence, my heart resting as relief flooded my body, his silence had made my already paranoid mind go bonkers, scenarios of rejections passing by my eyes one after another.

I didn't even bother suppressing the grin spreading on my cheeks, something he mirrored quickly.

"Yay." I mumbled goofily, watching him slander to my side of the kitchen counter, his eyes captivating mine as his delicious smell filled my nostrils. I closed my eyes, feeling in peace with myself, when he gently kissed my forehead, inhaling deeply, his arms circling my body, mine around his waist as I pressed my cheek against his chest where his heart beat underneath, _the heart I was very fond of._

"Ana, I am sorry that you have to go through all of this, I am sorry that I have an ex whom you have to encounter regularly and I am sorry that my own father made you feel like shit. This is not what you deserve, you out of all people deserve someone who brings along less garbage, but I am a selfish human being, even though I don't deserve you, I want you. And mostly I need you." He muttered into my hair, my scalp tingling when I felt yet another kiss, his voice giving away the embarrassment he was feeling.

"I don't mind garbage, as long as I get you with it." I said with a shrug, his chest vibrating as he snickered lightly. "I just need to know the garbage so I can face it properly, you know? And don't you ever dare to say that you don't deserve me, _us_. You out of all the people deserve happiness."

"You make me happy, that's right." He smiled as he tilted my chin with one finger, his eyes sparkling with the coziness of something only Christian could provide, safety and just the feeling of coming home after a long day.

"I have a deal." He said, his finger brushing over the sensitive skin of my bottom lip, his eyes darting back and forth between mine and my mouth. "I will tell you about all the garbage accompanying me, but first I want to feed you. You said you haven't eaten all day, our food should be here any minute, and I just want to have a quiet dinner _a deux._ Okay?"

"But if you try to distract me afterward I will leave." I said with a pointed finger, making him promise me on his life that he wouldn't do such a thing, granting us both the yummy food and the quiet conversation since we had a storm to face afterward.

When our bellies were full and sated, Christian kept his promise like the honest man he was, sipping at his beer a last time before he placed his empty bottle in front of himself on the kitchen island. I waited patiently for him to begin, trying to give him as much room as possible.

He sighed, tiredly brushing over his face before he began to talk with a thoughtful look.

"I don't remember the exact moment, but I remember waking up one day and thinking, _shit_. I looked to my left, saw that the bed was empty beside me since Elena had been at a business meeting overseas or whatever the hell she was doing, Ellie was already up and about, looting inside the walk-in-closet as she babbled and babbled, trying to wake me up, and I remember thinking, _shit, here we go again_. There was nothing different about that day, it was as ordinary as it could get, I woke up to the sounds of Ellie, had breakfast with her, bathed and dressed her, took her to kindergarten, took care of the chores and groceries, picked Ellie up in the evening and drove to my parents for dinner since Elena was missing once again, and in the end of the night I returned home with my daughter and put her to bed where she asked me about the whereabouts of her mother, nothing unusual." He scoffed, more to himself, as he played with the fork on his empty play in thoughts.

"On that day I realized that everything I did all day was always about the needs of other people, and I am not speaking about Ellie here since she is only a child. I tended to my daughter's needs because I was the only one she had, I took her to kindergarten because I was the only active parent in her life, I ran the house because I was the only one really giving a fuck about it. I asked myself if this would be how my life would go on and end eventually, imagining Ellie going off to college which would leave a big hole in my daily life, Elena probably as busy as always. I asked myself what I would do then. Would my dull days become even duller? I had no idea, and to be honest, I was scared of the answer because deep down I was sure that it had only one possible outcome."

"You felt trapped." I whispered softly, not wanting to scare him away as if my loud voice could do that. The pizza felt heavy in my stomach now, but that also could have been the new information I was getting from Christian.

"Exactly." He nodded at me, sighing again. "It's a scary thing, really, that feeling of being trapped. I felt like I had no importance in the world or in my marriage, beside keeping up the good image and our house clean. I had Ellie, of course, and I loved her dearly, but I felt lonely, Elena only giving a fuck about me when she dragged me to one of her never ending events. I felt like an accessory on her arm, the pretty face who was taking care of her kid and house while she was climbing up the mountain of success, something I had always supported, but something that had quickly become a priority in her life."

Christian snorted with an eye roll, making me look at him questioningly.

"Don't get me wrong. At that point of our marriage, we were long past of being in love, we were just co-existing, bound by a child, but while a marriage can survive the loss of love, it can't survive the loss of respect. Elena didn't respect or appreciate me, she proved that spectacularly when she cheated on me, but what worse was that Ellie suffered underneath her lack of interest in our marriage, just like mine. I was resigned, not really bothered by Elena's presence or absence, our marriage functioning like a well-wrought robot until then, just like she was ignoring me when we weren't fighting or talking about Ellie, only noticing my presence when she was displeased with something at home. We were not meant to be, now I know that, we should have broken up long before we got married, we shouldn't have let people talk us into getting married or having a child, but we did because we were stupid enough to think we were the same people we had been in high-school. She had grown into an ambitious, strong persona, something I had always respected, but as soon as her new self turned against me, I lost all fond feelings for her."

"Who talked you into marriage?" I asked, horrified at that thought, imagining a young Christian and Elena feeling constrained to get married. He was opening up more and more, I wondered if our little confession had caused this and if it had been the way to get him to talk all along.

"Our parents and friends? Society? Life itself? I don't remember exactly, but it felt like the right thing to do, the only thing left to do beside breaking up. My father wasn't pleased, not at all, he couldn't see why I would choose to get married right after graduation, he was already displeased with my degree and my lack of interest for achieving a career like his. I never dreamt about becoming successful, I didn't value it like the way he did, and I think I had my head high in the clouds, imagining an ordinary but happy life, simple maybe, but unlike my father and Elena, I enjoyed simplicity. The more successful Elena became, the more she became the child he had always wanted, ambitious, cunning and tenacious, all things I never had been. They bonded quickly, which is why they still count themselves as friends, something I never have quite got used to, but in a way I have always understood why they would get along so well." He said with a shrug, circling the wet spot his beer had left behind on the table with the tip of one of his fingers, as I watched him with keen interest.

"They seem to have similar character traits. Both very... strong." I said, unsure what else to call them beside the not so nice options going on inside my head.

He nodded, rolling his eyes again as he snorted.

"Which is why they know each other pretty well. Well enough to know how to manipulate each other in a way, just like Elena did last weekend probably. My father, no matter how much he cares about Ellie and no matter how brazen he can be, wouldn't have attacked you publicly if Elena hadn't planted a seed of doubt in his head, a skill she has mastered a long time ago. When we decided to have a kid, something we had once again been told to do since it was the only thing which could save our failing marriage, and I decided to quit my job to take care of Ellie since Elena's was too much of an importance to her, she was the one persuading my father that it was a good idea, to this day I have no idea how she did that."

"Your father didn't approve?" I asked, wondering why Carrick thought he had the right to decide over the lives of others.

"No, he didn't. I was once again failing him, failing myself by doing everything the easy way." Christian narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "I have stopped trying to please my father a long time ago, but back then it sure hurt my mood. Ellie brought some kind of happiness to our marriage, but it was short lived. We distanced from each other again, only fighting whenever we talked, a pattern was created in which I was the caregiver of Ellie and Elena was the one paying our bills, something she reminded me at any occasion and something which hurt my pride, not because she was a woman, but because the person I had a kid with was treating me like I was only one of her employees, nothing more. I didn't expect love from her at that point, for fuck's sake I had no love to give myself at that time, but I expected respect, deserved it even. The feeling of being trapped intensified with each passing day, I was feeling more and more lonely, my suppressed feelings finally breaking out of the prison I had build myself when I..."

Before he even spoke the next words, I knew what was coming, the darker color of his eyes trying to hide the sadness and embarrassment from me as he gulped down hardly. My heart squeezed painfully, I didn't even want to imagine what I would have done in his place.

"Well, when I caught Elena cheating on me. I felt humiliated, unloved, as if I had no meaning in my life, only Ellie keeping me up from going mental. My marriage was officially over, I don't know if Elena had planned that or why she hadn't ended our marriage herself sooner than that because it was no secret that she was just as unhappy as me. I know it's not an excuse, but a reason for what she did, so I can at least understand that, but I wish things hadn't ended that way. I hated her, I truly did, Ana. For what she had done to me, for what she had done to Ellie. I didn't want to spend another minute married to her, something you can assume that my father wasn't pleased with, either. When he told me that I at least should have fought for my marriage just because Elena was successful enough to tolerate her mistakes, I told him that if he couldn't see that we had been fighting to stay married for the past few years, then he was more blind than he knew. I told him that if he wanted to keep call me his son, he better knew where the boundaries lied, I was done with him protecting my ex. I wanted to be happy and I wanted Ellie to be happy, I knew that a terrible marriage with her mother wouldn't make her happy, even if that was what people tried to talk me into." The determination in his eyes was inspiring, a father putting his daughter's needs above anything else, and more importantly a man putting his own needs and health above society's standards.

In that moment, I was sure that I was truly and honestly in love with Christian Grey. My heart swelled three times it size in my chest, beating frantically in excitement, something I had been feeling all along, but something I hadn't dare to name until now.

I reached over and squeezed his hand gently with mine, in awe with him now more than ever.

"You are one of the strongest people I know." I whispered, gulping down the need to cry out of the sudden, earning a sorry smile from him.

"I wish that was true, Ana. I have failed Ellie on so many occasions, if you only knew."

"But you never stopped fighting for her. You endured a terrible marriage for her, not because you thought it was what society expected you to do or what your father wanted you to do, you endured a problematic relationship just because you wanted to give your daughter a family. And when the time came, you were clever enough to know that sometimes family doesn't provide happiness, happiness doesn't have to be a mother and a father, especially not when those two don't love and respect each other. You knew when to get out of it, once again thinking of Ellie's happiness." I tried to encourage him, our fingers entwined in a tight grasp.

He scoffed, his lips curled down in a displeased frown.

"I regretted it. For a short moment I regretted getting divorced, not because I loved or missed Elena, but because I had at least been ignorant to the harsh truth of responsibility, I had at least felt like things were going the right way. And what is worse, for a short moment, I regretted having a child. I wondered what would have happened if Ellie had never been born, I wondered what I would have become if Elena and I got divorced without Ellie in the picture, imagining being free of responsibilities and just free, something I had never been truly. I realized that, just like my father had always said, I was in the exact spot I had been before marrying Elena while she had build herself a professional career, our marriage only giving me Ellie, whom I loved dearly, but for a short moment, I blamed her even."

"Christian." I whispered, my guts tying in a knot as his confession shocked me. "But that was short lived, wasn't it? You were a divorcee, you weren't in the position to make coherent decisions mainly because you were going through a heart break, a divorce."

"But I did. Foolishly I thought building a new life would be easy, I had been taking care of Ellie all along, Elena had never been truly present after all, but I soon realized that while I barely managed to pay my bills between work and taking care of Ellie, Elena was living her life, finally free enough to concentrate on her career. I realized that I was stuck, once again, this time the very thing I had tried to make happy holding me down, and in that horrible moment, I blamed Ellie. As if the poor thing didn't suffer enough already, we were seeing therapist after therapist, the divorce heavy on her tiny soul. She had always been a sweet kid, never causing problems, but when Elena and I got divorced, she started to think that we didn't love her just because we didn't love each other anymore."

"You changed your life overnight, you had a kid to take care of. It's perfectly normal to be overwhelmed with the responsibilities, Christian. Your divorce wasn't easy on any of you. Don't blame yourself for being human." I whispered sympathetically, earning a grim look as he withdrew his hand from mine to ruff his hair with a frustrated sigh.

"The second things got hard, I abandoned her, Ana. She had always been a sweet girl, but after the divorce she threw tantrums, cried a lot, started nagging, just like she did one day at the supermarket when I refused to buy her favorite cereal. I was running short on money, I had only started working at the repair shop since I didn't want to ride the alimony pony, and the more she cried, the more trapped I felt."

My heart skipped beats as I realized that he was telling me the very first story I had heard about him.

"I ran away from my problems just like my father told you I did. I ran away the second things got hard, I ran away when she needed me most, Ana. What kind of parent does that?"

"The type that keeps trying to do his best ever since, Christian. Don't you see? You weren't yourself back then, you were heart broken, your pride was hurt and you didn't know what your life could look like the next day. Plus you had a kid to take care of and the responsibilities accompanying it. You have come a long way since then. I don't know who that man was, but I know you now. Now you would never do something like that and now you do your best to take care of your daughter." I gulped down the dry feeling in my mouth, suddenly tears swimming in my eyes. "You have your mistakes, Christian, but so does everybody else. You are only human and you are trying your best with Ellie, you are a great father with the way you care for her and with the way you love her unconditionally like any sane parent should do. You have managed to build a new life for her, with her, you have survived an awful relationship and you have managed to put yourself first for once, too. That doesn't make you weak or bad, that makes you human and I..., I love you just because of all of these."

 _Woosh_. The floor beneath my feet vanished, the ground opening to swallow me in a pit made out of sweet cotton candy, the words leaving my mouth sneakily, unintentionally, but oh so welcome, my emotions peaked in the moment in which I had to make the man I loved love himself for what he was, a genuine, caring, honest and brave father. It didn't feel rushed, it didn't feel wrong, it felt... just right as if we were made to say these words in this exact moment, the universe playing its little game all along just so we could end up here in his kitchen with empty plates in front of us and hearts full of love beating in us. For the first time in my life, I didn't think, I just did what I did, knowing well that he felt the same way, the look in his eyes giving him away, the look he had always given me, but the one I had not seen until now.

 _Love._

It was easy, only when it was not, just like Christian.

"I love you." I said again, more firmly now, my nerves frantic in my body as my determination to make him talk transformed into determination to make him understand.

He looked at me with widen eyes, his hair standing still in the middle of ruffing his hair again, a nervous gesture, suddenly all frustration leaving his expression.

"You do?" He whispered, not daring to move from his spot, a funny picture since he didn't move his arms either.

"Yes, I do. Because you are a great father, because you are a strong person, because you are selfless, because you are honest, because you have a dirty mind whenever we have sex or any other time things get heated, because you know how to make me laugh no matter how I feel, because... the list is endless. I just love _you."_ I smiled, shrugging, pleased with my answer.

Christian mirrored my smile, his arms slowly dropping down to his sides, the tips of his ears reddening as his smile turned into a goofy grin, his next words coming out of his lips as easy as this thing between us was.

"I love you, too."

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to me for this chapter ;) I'm feeling selfish.**

 **Yup. They said it. Yay.**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xoxo**

 **PS. Last time I said there were only 2 chapters left, but it was actually 3. Now its 2.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Welcome back.**

 **NOT BETAED and not even edited, something I will regret tomorrow morning, but I wanted to get this out of my system and I wanted to hear your opinion. So yeah, enjoy.**

 **To my pottery bitches ;) You know who you are.**

* * *

 **27\. From responsibilities and angst**

"I'm telling you, she has been acting weird for a few weeks now." Andrea insisted with furrowed brows.

I looked up from the empty peanut shell I had been playing with, my nearly empty drink making me wonder if I should go for another one or end the night like a responsible adult who had to work tomorrow.

"She has been barely going out with us, she hasn't lost a word about her activities outside of work, and when I asked her if she felt like going clubbing this weekend, she said she had a pottery course. I mean, pottery? Really?" The _duh_ was thick in her voice, her lips pursed as she gave me a pointed look.

"Maybe she likes pottery." I said with a shrug, deciding to go for another drink in the end, _fuck being responsible._ It was a regular Thursday night in which Andrea had dragged me to a last minute shopping spree after work, something we wrapped up with a hamburgers and drinks at Elliott's bar. He was attentive and sweet as always, making sure everything was to our liking.

"Ana, no one likes pottery. At least not all by herself. You know what I think? She is cheating on us with new friends." Andrea nodded firmly, absolutely convinced with her own words. I tied not to roll my eyes at her possessiveness, Andrea could be pretty serious about her friends.

"Or maybe she really likes pottery." I insisted, waving a waitress over to order another round of drinks for us.

"Why hasn't she asked to accompany her then? We do everything together, why not pottery? You know how she drags us to all the foreign movies she loves to watch."

"Honestly, I wouldn't have gone if she asked me. Would you?" My pointed look was not missed. She pouted and slouched her shoulders, shaking her head in surrender.

"Still, she normally would have asked us and nagged about it."

Kate's arrival and the hot kiss she and Elliott shared a few feet away from us thankfully changed the subject. It was impossible to change Andrea's mind if it was set on something, and I had given up trying a long time ago, opting for distraction instead.

"Well, well, well. Look at you, Kitty Cat. Aren't you all naughty?" Andrea teaser the blushing blonde, giggling at her own words. "A little longer and you guys would have given all of us a show."

"Shut up. We are happy." Kate mumbled, nervously smiling toward the bar where her boyfriend was preparing her drink.

"Happily fucking, I bet." Andrea whispered with a cocky grin, earning a gasp from our friend while I kicked her shin underneath the table. She didn't even wince, enjoying making Kate squirm too much. I didn't know if I should be happy that she had found a new main target of her teasing, it sounded a little too selfish for my taste, but the truth was that I enjoyed every second in which I didn't have to endure her double innuendos and jokes at my own expense. Since our night at Elliott's bar, she had her eyes set on him and Kate, leaving me and Christian be for once.

"You are just jealous." Kate said with smirk, sticking out her tongue in a childish gesture.

"That I am, Kitty Cat. That I am. So if you ever feel like lending me, I don't know, your boyfriend, maybe, you would make me very happy."

"Over my dead body." Kate gasped, obviously missing Andrea's teasing tone, her facial expression making me snort into my drink.

"Damn. Okay, then Ana can lend me the hot daddy." Our friend pouted, giving me puppy dog eyes as I kicked her again.

"Over _your_ dead body." I whispered with squeezed eyes, the thought of sharing my boo with anyone causing ugly, thick and green waves of the jealousy juices spreading in my body. After hearing him say those infamous three words two nights ago, I had become even more possessive, something I hadn't expected. Christian liked it, though. No, he _loved_ it. I suppressed a happy squeal, not wanting to endure yet another repetition of yesterday's conversation when I had told Leila and Andrea about the recent news of my love life.

I had established clarity in my unnerving suspicions and doubts about Christian's past relationship with his cheating ex. He had finally opened up to me, telling me about his failed marriage and his problems after the divorce, being a single father somehow more stressful than raising a child with a barely present partner, the responsibilities crushing his faith in himself. Things had been rough for him and Ellie, the little girl obviously coming out on the short end of the battle in between her parents, her sweet behavior changing underneath the stress, something Christian hadn't been able to face at first, opting for running away when she had one major temper tantrum at the supermarket. He still was blaming himself for that, not seeing that he was just as human as the rest of us and even though he had to put his child's needs first, he also had the right to stumble now and then, his mistakes and weaknesses didn't make him an inadequate parent. The way he took care of Ellie now was remarkable, always making sure she had everything she needed and wanted, only allowing himself selfishness when he had met me, deciding to say _fuck you_ to the world and falling for me. I had been an idiot, I hadn't seen the feelings he obviously had for me, choosing to concentrate on his failed marriage with Elena instead.

Somehow I had ended up thinking that there still might be feelings between them, beside the anger and the frustration, maybe those two hiding the passion and love, something caused by Elena's abuse of trust. Feelings didn't die out from one second to another, especially not with someone you had a child with, but hearing from Christian that his feelings for Elena had died out a long time ago had made me relax visibly, making me feel guilty about my suspicions.

He loved me, now that I had heard him say those precious words I saw it in everything he did. I saw it in the way he had prepared me a breakfast the next morning, the first one I got to wake up in the same house as Ellie, her childish excitement about seeing me at their house on school day's morning cute and appreciated, but for the sake of not being a target of gossip we had driven to kindergarten separately. I saw it in the way he always kissed the corner of my mouth first before he dig into the real deal, a full, all _lovey dovey_ kiss with butterflies going bonkers inside me, I saw it in the way he smiled when he listened to me talk, even if I got weird again which happened a lot and I saw it in the way he looked into my eyes as we made love.

It was everywhere I looked, not obtrusive or burdensome, just a welcomed attraction which I let myself enjoy fully, without regrets or shame. I was happy and the world had to deal with it.

"Relax, Ana bear. I wouldn't touch my friends' men even if my life depended on it. You know I am just being a dork." Andrea assured me, although her eye roll made me doubt her words. "It's the absence of proper sex in my life. I need a dick plus a cute guy attached to it. Someone who will actually call me afterward."

"Maybe I can hook you up with one of Elliott's friends." Kate suggested, her mentioned boyfriend just bringing her drink. He looked questioningly at us, asking us if we were swooning over him.

"Oh yes, baby. We love you." Andrea playfully batted her eyelashes at him while I winked with a grin, Kate opting to kiss him loudly in front of us, marking her territory.

"I don't want blind dates. That just so not my thing." Andrea ranted after Elliott went his way with yet another smug comment. "I am an adult, I want the real deal. Like you both have."

"It will happen when it happens, you know. I didn't know I would end up with the real deal before I met Christian." I tried to encourage her, knowing well that she always hid her pain behind her silly jokes. "It just happens and when it does, it will be great. Mark my words."

"I hope you are right, Ana bear. I just..." She drifted off, biting her lip before she looked over my shoulder, her eyes widening. "Well, look who we have here."

Kate and I followed her curious stare, seeing Leila walk in with a nervous smile on her lips, a pretty redhead girl following her, their hands embraced. Elliott greeted them with a smile when they passed the bar, his eyes as widen as Andrea's as he tried to hide his astonishment upon close regard of the two women. He nodded toward our table, Leila looking our way with her cheeks flushed and her eyes frantically going from one of us to the other, the redhead beside her mirroring her nervousness as they slowly made their way toward us.

"Ummm. Who is she?" Kate whispered with a tiny voice, her brows furrowed. I bit my lip, shrugging my shoulders, looking at the girl's hand still in Leila's in a somehow close and intimate gesture.

"Hey, guys." Leila mumbled when she and her friend were standing beside us, a nervous and hasty breathy laughter leaving her mouth. "This is Susannah, Susie for short."

We mumbled our greetings, still looking from her to Susie in shock, their hands not letting go off each other. I wasn't confused, it was clear what they were, the hands holding far too obvious, I was just not sure how to address the obvious. Maybe I should not address it, maybe just go with the flow or let them lead, I didn't know.

The silence following was awkward, Leila and Susie got out of their cardigans before they sat down, everyone not wanting to behave like a bull in a china shop but secretly dying to find out if what we were witnessing was _the real deal_ , the thing that happens when you least expect it, but once it happened it was great. Small talk didn't help to cut the tension, Kate and I bothering with how are you's and where did you meet's, only getting short answers, though, nervous looks exchanged, bundling in equally nervous laughter and curious minds ready to spit out all the questions running wild inside. I slurped on my drink, taking my sweet time, wondering how we could defuse this situation like adults, when Andrea finally had mercy on all of us and took the first step, being brave and brazen at once.

"So, pottery, huh?" She asked with one arched brow, smug as always, making Leila and Susie giggle with a guilty look on their faces.

"We tried it, but it was boring." Leila said with a shrug, visibly relaxing just like the rest of us.

"See? I told you it's boring." Andrea gave me a cocky look out of the corner of her eyes, making me roll mine.

"You love being right, don't you?" I asked with pursed lips, shaking my head feigned pity. "If only you were right more often."

"I was right about the hot daddy, wasn't I? Be grateful, bitch."

"The hot daddy?" Susie asked quietly, curiously looking from me to Andrea who started grinning with hand at her chest where her heart beat underneath.

"Oh, Susie. You have just opened Pandora's box. Do you wanna hear about a hot, single daddy with a cute face and an even cuter butt?" She asked, earning yet another kick from me.

"Stop talking about my boyfriend's butt."

At least it had made us all relax immensely, the topic change welcome for once since it quickly welcomed Susie as a new member of our group, Leila mouthing a _thank you_ at me when I endured Andrea's swooning. I smiled at her, happy that she was happy with the girl beside her. I guessed it explained what Andrea had been talking about, Leila's weird absence in our latest after school sessions obviously caused by the bubbly redhead beside her, the one she couldn't keep her eyes off.

"Susie seems nice." I said later when the two of us were in the restrooms, drying my hands as she washed hers.

"She is, she really is." Leila mumbled with an uncontrollable smile on her lips, the look in her eyes the same I saw whenever I looked into the mirror with Christian on my mind.

"I'm sorry that I haven't told you girls about it sooner." She said with slouched shoulders. "I was just worried about your reaction. And the reaction of the parents, of course. You know how some people can be."

"Please. Let them think what they want, they can go jump in a lake." I scoffed with a firm look, ready to defend my friend. "You are not doing anything wrong. You are just in love. There is no wrong or bad kind of love."

"Thanks, Ana. I really appreciate your words." She said with a tiny whisper, hugging me, my hand patting her back as I assured her that I would be on her side of things whenever she needed me.

"I got a few phone calls yesterday evening." Leila gave me a worried look out of the corner of her eyes as she was reapplying her lipstick, our hugging and my support interrupted by a giggly gang of girls entering the restrooms. Her tone made me raise my brows, wondering where she was going with this.

"From a long list of parents. About graduation." She added with a tired sigh, my heart falling into the depths of my stomach like a heavy rock. I sensed that I wouldn't like what she had to say.

"Okay. Or not okay?" I gulped down the hard knot in the back of my throat, trying to stay calm as I heard her next words.

"Well, apparently they are all now thinking that a self written play isn't what the kids should perform. They want us to show _Little Red Riding Hood_ instead, in fact they are insisting on it. Otherwise they won't provide any help and all the things they had promised us, we would have to sponsor all of that ourselves. I'm sorry, Ana." Leila gave me a pitiful look, her words already making it obvious that she had agreed on the parents' demands, something I couldn't blame her for since our budget was tight enough or we wouldn't have asked them for their help in the first place.

"They said they wanted something traditional and that we all had been raised with fairy tales, so why shouldn't their kids. I thought about canceling the play completely just out of spite, but the kids were so happy about it yesterday. I didn't want to crush their hopes and dreams, you know."

 _Traditional fairy tales_ , I thought with a frown, my guts clenching painfully as I recognized those words.

"It's safe to assume that Elena is behind all of this, right?" I asked my friend, my jaw clenched as I fumed silently.

Two days. All I got was two days of thinking I had won the battle the last time we had met, thinking that things were fine and we were getting the graduation party the kids deserved, two days of being naively victorious and even excited about the dull act of planning and organization and two days in which I had flourished with Christian's recent love confessions and my private victory of facing Elena Lincoln bravely and successfully. Two days of false illusion was all I had gotten in the end.

Of fucking course, she had to ruin our plans.

"Well, who else would do something like that? We had them all convinced at Tuesday, but two days later they suddenly were into fairy tales. She has the grounds for it, after all. Being your boyfriend's ex and stuff."

I felt like my heart was going to burst with all the tension inside, my annoyance growing rapidly. I tried not to think about the kids' excitement when we had announced that some of them would be performing in a play, Ellie being the major character, something she had actually shed tears for. Happy tears, thank God.

And now we had to crush their dreams. Great.

"We can still cancel it, of course. If you want to, I mean." Leila proposed with an apologetic smile, always feeling awful when she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, meaning between us teachers and the parents. I remembered the last time she had been here, Andrea in a big discussion with one of her students' father who hadn't understood why teaching his kid to play with toy guns was wrong. Somehow I was sure that Elena would be more difficult to defeat than Mr. Parker and his obsessions with guns.

"No, I don't want to be the one dragging them down. I know this is her way of trying to get to me, so I won't give her the pleasure." I nodded, more to convince myself than for her, not wanting to play dirty like my opponent. If she was insisting on being childish, I wished her fun with that. I was above her petty games, yet still my good mood gone since she had once again managed to get the upper hand.

My foul mood made itself comfortable inside me, not bothering to vanish like I needed it to, instead focusing on making my nerves more fragile than ever, my patience running short at work the next day when I nearly let out a loud cry as I caught one of my students trying to make his classmate eat chalk. I didn't think my students had ever seen me this stern before, their little eyes looking at me with shock as I lectured them about their wrong doings, their lips shut tightly afterward. I continued with our lesson, reading them a story lazy as I was, my mind more busy with Elena's latest move.

After I had gone home last night, I had talked to Christian on the phone, a sweet conversation with _I love you's_ and _Good night's_ , silly things exchanged in the privacy of our bedrooms, his words making me forget about the sad news for a short amount of time. The lousy feeling had nearly made me tell him about his ex wife's actions, but in the end I had decided not to nag about her to him, knowing that he was already so eager to be angry with her I had decided to keep this one to myself and take it like an adult. In the end, telling him about the change wouldn't have made the other parents' decide to let us perform the play we wanted, even though he would find out sooner than later, probably questioning me why I hadn't told him about it earlier. I had to face my battles alone, without an easily infuriated boyfriend. He needed to respect that and while I knew he respected all of my other reasons, I also knew that Elena was his sore spot, the one thing because of which he forgot every ethos he had. The me before Tuesday evening would have thought that this was caused by some feelings he still had before hidden underneath his anger, but the new me knew that Christian was only giving extreme reactions to anything Elena ever did because he was angry with her, angry enough to hate her even in a very childish way.

The kids survived my class without another lecture by me, their chatter getting louder after the ring of the bell, a tired sigh leaving my lips. Dutifully I lead them outside, watching them stroll around to various toys, their laughter and good mood for once not infectious. I parked my ass on a bench near the sand pit, wishing this day to end so I could go home, take a hot shower, slip into my pj's and sleep my problems away, like any other mature adult would do. Sleep kept me busy, and busy meant no thinking about stupid graduation parties and stupid plays written by stupid teachers. We had yet to tell the kids about the change of things, all of us fearing the disappointment they all would feel and all of us kinda trying to get out of doing the important talk. Andrea had proposed that if we did our moves well, we could get Leila to talk to all of the students, something Nicole and Jose had liked, but me not so much. This wasn't just Leila's burden, we all had to do our part.

"I knew I shouldn't have gotten that last drink." Andrea mumbled with a frown on her face as she massaged her temples, approaching me with a sigh before she sat down beside me. Unlike my friends, I had forgone the round of shots they had done at the end of the night, celebrating Susie's arrival in our group or something like that, obviously just an excuse.

"I told you not to. But you never listen to me." I said with a shrug, proud of foreseeing the results of drinking on a school night.

"One day I will and then you will be surprised. How was class?" She asked, her hawk eyes close on a few kids playing in the sand pit.

"Depressive. Not for them, I hope, although I was stricter than ever today, but depressive for me. I hate this so much." I grunted, venting my anger in the privacy of our conversation. "I hate that we don't get to show what we want. I know my play isn't the best, but the kids seemed to like it."

"Your play was awesome. You are allowed to hate this fucked up situation and you are allowed to hate you-know-who, too." Andrea said with a sigh, for once not in the mood for joking it seemed.

"I really don't want to be the kind of person who hates the ex of their boyfriend, but today I am very close to give up and just hate her." I confessed with a pout, my insides going bonkers with the pain caused by defeat.

"You don't hate her because she is just his ex, you hate her because she is a manipulative, deconstructive, selfish b-"

"Andrea! Don't say the b-word here." I whispered in shock just when nosy little ears approached us, a little girl demanding help with her shoe laces. I wiped her tears away before I tied her shoes, encouraging her with a smile before I send her off.

Andrea shook her head with a displeased expression, her arms crossed underneath her chest.

"Well, it's the truth. Even if I don't say it out loud. You know she is a b-word. Making sure that the parents were on her side somehow so Leila's hands would be tied is a b-word move."

I could only nod in agreement, my tiny world speechless for once, even my thoughts boycotting functioning properly. I decided to concentrate on the kids instead, making sure that they didn't get hurt while playing, Andrea mirroring me as we sat in silence surrounded by childish laughter, gleeful squeals and squeaking swings. Just when I was contemplating to cry once I got home, Andrea started tugging at my arm, two fingers squeezing my naked flesh in her sudden excitement.

"Ouch." I yelped, rubbing my aching skin as I threw her a bewildered look. She was practically jumping up and down in her seat, a smug grin on her face.

"Ana." She gasped, clapping her hands in front of her chest once, shoulders wiggling. "I'm such a genius."

"I beg to differ." I muttered with a pointed look toward my arm where her fingers had caused quite some harm.

"Shut up. I am genius and you will agree once you know what I have thought of." Andrea winked, a cocky move which reminded me of my dreamy boyfriend. He used to give me a lot of winks, I wondered why he had stopped.

"Well, tell me then." My curiosity was awakened, one of my brows high on my forehead.

"I will. Soon." With a last wink, she quickly left me hanging, my head tilted as I watched her storm off with renewed purpose. I frowned, confused when I saw her go back inside, cursing her for leaving me high and dry. Whatever she had going on her mind was either going to bite my ass or the asses of all of us, that much was sure.

Even though I pestered her for the rest of the day, all I got from her way that she had talked with Leila about something important and that I had to be patient for more details since the two of them had come up with what she called a _super duper_ plan which needed secrecy until they were absolutely sure about its success. I didn't know what that meant and I didn't know what to think of them not making me a part of their secrets, I opted for pouting the rest of the day, welcoming the end of Friday's school day with open arms as the last bell rang. My students quickly got dressed and packed their backpacks, wishing me a great weekend before they left my classroom, only to meet me again outside where we watched them saying hello's to their parents picking them up, last waves and goodbye's exchanged between us and them.

I regretted choosing to stay away from Andrea in my immature act of pouting when I saw Ellie getting picked up by her mother, instead of her yummy father.

Crap.

Shit.

Crap and shit.

I hadn't expected seeing Elena Lincoln any time soon, and I definitely hadn't expected seeing her when my wounds were still fresh from her latest attack, but I knew I should have expected something like this, her way of rubbing her success into my face in front of all my oblivious students and all the parents whom I already was throwing daggers at with my eyes, not bothering with being anything more than polite toward them. They weren't getting anything beside a fake, polite smile from me.

While I could keep up my mask towards them, Elena was a different story. She was the reincarnation of negative feeling I had ever had put together in a tall, beautiful blonde, her cold eyes finding mine soon enough.

I nearly roared when she had the audacity to smile at me with a raised hand in greeting, but I opted for something with way more class. I walked up to the b-word, ready to face her in whatever game she was playing, while wondering where the hell Christian was.

Ellie was quick enough to break the ice first, all smiles as she looked up at me, telling me about her plans of the weekend with her mother. I was glad that she seemed to be happy about spending time with Elena, she was her mother after all.

"Ms. Steele, I got a new bike. It's blue with glitter and stars." She told me gleefully, her little hand tugging at her mother's as she seemed impatient to leave. I grinned down at her.

"I had a blue bike once, too. My father taught me how to drive it." I remembered the days barely, but Ray loved to remind me of them being the nostalgic person that he was.

"Mummy, will you teach me? I won't see Daddy until Sunday." The strawberry blonde girl asked, big, questioning eyes looking up to her mother.

Elena nodded with a smile, brushing over her daughter's hair in a gentle gesture.

"Of course, sweetheart."

Then she turned her head to me, the smile vanishing.

"Ms. Steele." She greeted me with pursed lips, making me wonder what I had thought of with approaching her. I wasn't the type to publicly accuse her, that would be far too scandalous for my liking anyway. I guessed I just wanted her to know that I wasn't scared of facing her, and in a way that was the truth, her latest actions making me bolder instead of scaring me like she probably had planned. All eyes were following our conversation with peaked interest, we were probably serving them the latest gossip. Great.

"Ms. Lincoln. It's nice to see you again." I was all smiles, fake ones of course, stressing her title in a petty was I should be above of, but I could be a b-word, too, if needed. Today was one of those days I needed to be a b-word.

"I thought Christian was picking her up?" I asked with raised eyebrows, earning a frown from her.

"She is my daughter, too. I can pick her up whenever I want."

"I didn't claim anything else. I was just curious. Usually he informs us if somebody else is going to pick her up."

Elena rolled her eyes at my matter-of-factly tone, little Ellie looking from me to her mother with curious eyes.

"It's not your job to be curious. And I don't need Christian's permission to pick my own kid up." She said with a fake smile, grasping Ellie's hand tightly as she tried to drag her away, but the little girl stopped her with her next words.

"Mummy, do you know that I will be a butterfly at graduation? Oh, and a caterpillar." She said excitedly, my guts clenching painfully as I suppressed the need to curse.

"What?" Elena narrowed her eyes with confusion clearly written on her face, one hand sneaking up to scratch her jaw. "No, you won't, honey."

Ellie mirrored her look, I saw the similarity between them for the first time. Her little eyebrows were just as expressive as her mothers.

"Yes, I will. Ms. Steele told us that I will be the butterfly and the caterpillar." She screwed up her nose, looking from her mother to me, both of us looking equally shocked.

Elena sighed deeply, kneeling in front of her daughter and grasping shoulders, her features softening as she talked.

"Sweetie, you won't be playing some sort of bug at graduation. Haven't your teachers told you? You and your friends will be playing _Little Red Riding Hood_ instead. You love that fairy tale, don't you?" She explained slowly, brushing one of Ellie's strands of hair behind her ear, the little girl's cheeks suddenly reddening as her lips started to tremble.

"No, we will play the butterfly story." Ellie let out slowly, stepping back from her mother with a frown on her tiny face. My heart was stuck somewhere between my ribs, beating painfully against my bones as I watched the exchange between mother and daughter, my senses tingling on the alert.

"No, you won't." Elena said with a strict tone, her patience obviously ran out. She stood up, straightening her blouse before she gave her daughter a no-nonsense taking look.

"We will talk about this at home. Come."

It was the wrong thing to say, the wrong to demand, because as soon as the words left her pursed mouth, Ellie let out a loud scream as if somebody was stabbing her, my heart stopping beating for a few seconds as I watched her stomp her feet over and over again, her arms shaking with her hands balled up.

"I want to play the butterfly. I don't like Red Riding Hood. I hate it. I hate it." She let out with a shriek, tears streaming down her face.

"Ellie." Elena hissed with her hands at her hips, a displeased curl of her lips making her snarl. "You don't get everything you want."

"I want to be the butterfly. I want to be the butterfly." The little girl winced, not listening to her mother's strict tone, all eyes watching the events with gasps parting lips and shock widening eyes.

I was unsure what to do next, the professional in me wanting to soothe Ellie, but the rational part in me knew that I had to let Elena handle it because outside of school – and if you ignored that I was dating her father -, I had no right to interfere, but the painful twitch in my chest remained as I watched the daughter of the man I loved throw a temper tantrum, something which reminded me of that she was just a kid in the end and not as mature as she acted sometimes.

When Andrea rushed to my side, I stopped her from taking another step with one arm, opting for stepping back a few myself. It didn't feel right, even though it was the right thing to do. We only could interfere if things got out of hand, we had to give Elena the chance to take care of her daughter.

"I hate Red Riding Hood." Ellie cried over and over again as her mother tried to talk sense into her, her face all red and wet with her tears. "I don't want to go home with you. I hate you."

Elena's strict expression vanished, revealing the truth behind all of her skilled masks, the pathetic and desperate woman aching to be a part of her daughter's world showing herself, and unlike the other times I had caught her mask-less, she didn't manage to pull herself together immediately. Her lips parted as she gasped, her eyes nervously looking around, before she mumbled her daughter's name, the little girl not bothering with listening to her. Her face reddened, ugly splotches of color spreading on her skin, a trait which gave her human features and ruined the annoyingly perfect image I had of her.

With slouched shoulders, she tried to talk to her daughter again, the pain audible in her voice and visible in her expression, for once she didn't bother with hiding it.

"Ellie, dear. Sweetie, let's go home and talk about this." She pleaded unsuccessfully, Ellie had no interest in talking to her, her little feet stomping on the dusty ground beneath them.

"I want Daddy. I want my daddy." She cried, hiccuping.

From the corner of my eye, I saw how Jose and Nicole send off the other parents who were watching nosily, they went their way begrudgingly. Leila slowly approached, giving me a questioning look before she made her way to Elena and Ellie, whispering something to Elena before she tried to calm down the crying girl. I quickly joined her, a huge wave of relief spread in me as I finally got to interfere, watching the girl cry unbearable with each passing second, kneeling down beside Ellie to wipe away her tears as much as she let me, whispering words of encouragement to her, something she barely listened to but in the way her hands grasped my arm tightly I was sure I had her attention a little bit at least.

Leila let me alone with her, whispering words with Elena as they talked. I didn't miss the distress audible in Elena's voice, although she kept trying to knock off a few excuses about work being stressful and Ellie being tired, _you know she usually isn't like this, she never would done something like this if she hadn't heard about that stupid butterfly play_ , her lies not getting the reactions she wanted since we all didn't believe her.

"Ms. Steele, I want my daddy." Ellie pouted, her crying slowly dying, my heart breaking when I saw the look she gave me. For that look alone I could have slapped Elena into another dimension.

"I will call him, okay?" I said softly, rubbing her back in slow motions, but before I could dig out my phone from my jeans' pocket, a car suddenly turned the corner, stopping with squeaking tires right in front of the entrance. A door banged as someone left the car, a worried voice suddenly calling out Ellie's name.

"What's happening? Is she alright? I'm sorry, I am late, but I was at work. We are working extra shifts this week." Christian rattled with a frown, lifting Ellie from where she was standing as he looked from me to Elena with a questioning look.

"What are you doing here?" He asked his ex. "I told you I would pick her up today. You didn't need to drive all the way here."

My heart felt as heavy as a rock in my chest, although his presence seemed to calm Ellie, I knew we had yet to face hell when he found out what had happened.

Elena shrugged nervously, brushing her hair away from her face.

"You told me you would be working late so I thought I could pick her up myself since she is with me this weekend."

"No, I told you I would drop her a little later this week because I had an extra shift." He said with a frown, Ellie mumbling something into his ear as he rhythmically patted her back, his hand stopping mid motion.

"Shh, baby. It's alright." He tried to soothe her, her little shoulders shaking as her crying started again. "I'm here now."

"Daddy, I want to play the butterfly. Mummy said I wouldn't play the butterfly. Mummy said we would play Little Red Riding Hood." She let out with a high gasp, followed by another set of hiccups, his eyes darkening as he heard his daughter's words.

The discussion that followed was nothing I had wanted to witness, Leila and I standing aside while Elena and Christian argued with little Ellie crying softly. I had never felt more out of place before, things getting more and more awkward with each passing second, the feeling of intruding soon lingering on my mind as if I was the stranger in the family in front of me, my self esteem taking a nose dive as I remembered the argument Christian and Elena had at the hospital a long time ago. Back then I had thought of them fighting as a sign of passion, now I knew better, but still the feeling of being inapt to do something was worse than the thought of my boyfriend sharing any kind of passion with his ex.

"You don't get to do this, Elena. Do you hear me? You don't get to have everything your way." Christian said with one finger raised toward her in warning, having let go off Ellie as soon as his fight with his ex had started. The little girl had seeked shelter at my side, hugging my leg tightly before I could kneel to lift her up, now she was crying into the crook of my neck, my heart breaking into a million of pieces.

"I won't let my daughter embarrass herself with a ridiculous play about bugs, Christian. I wanted only the best for her." Elena said with a high nose, her arms crossed. I tried to spot the distress she been unafraid to show earlier and I found it hidden underneath her anger.

"You and I both know that this isn't about the play. Whatever problem you have with me, you can discuss with me. But stop interfering in my daughter's life." He said with an arrogant laugh, looking disgusted as she took deep breaths with frantic looks to her left and right, obviously feeling uneasy.

"I don't have time for this. She.. she doesn't wan to come with me, so I assume you will take her home?" Elena let out, licking her dry lips as she took steps away from her ex. I caught the sorry look she threw in my direction, its target probably more Ellie than me, before she quickly turned around and tried to run off to her car, but Christian caught her wrist in a swift move, his voice booming as he spoke.

"You don't have time for your daughter? You don't have time for the sorrow you have caused? What kind of mother are you? Are you that selfish that you even can't let your daughter be happy just because you have some stupid personal agenda with me?"

"Let me go." She shrieked, pushing him as hard as possible away before freeing herself. She managed to get inside her car with Christian right behind her, knocking against the window of the driver's door as he cursed her again and again, the image alone frightening me, my body tense and my heart giving up completely as I hold onto Ellie tightly, the little girl crying louder. In my shock, I forgot about soothing her, needing someone to soothe me myself, the words she whispered into my ear not helping.

"I hate it when they fight." She hiccuped just when a furious Christian picked up a stone from the sidewalk, throwing it after the car Elena was driving away with.

Holy fuck.

* * *

 **Um. Yeah.**

 **One more to go then it's time to say bye bye to Daddy C :(**

 **Until next and last time,**

 **xoxo Melii**


	28. Chapter 28

**Oops. 3 months. Sorry.**

 **Have fun.**

 **NOT BETAED! and not even edited cause God knows i don't have the energy for that, and i don't think you guys have more patience to give :D**

* * *

 **28\. From responsibilities and energy**

The tires of Elena's car squeaked against the dusty floor as she stepped on the gas, not looking back before she drove off, leaving a catastrophic mess behind herself.

"She runs away. She always runs away." Christian roared, ruffing his hair as he walked up and down with a bewildered expression on his face, the words flying out of his mouth uncontrollably, not caring about his audience as he cursed his ex wife over and over again. His daughter trembled with tears leaving her eyes, her arms tightly wrapped around my neck, my heart broken over and over again with each passing second.

My eyebrows reached my forehead as I regarded the image in front of me, my otherwise sweet boyfriend showing me a not so sweet side of his, something I never wanted to face personally. Even though I loved every side of him, his ire infuriated me as much as it terrified me.

As much as he had the right to react to the outrageous stunt Elena had pulled just for the sake of her personally issue with me and him, I had thought he knew better than to let go like this in front of his poor daughter. I had thought he had learned his lesson from the infamous supermarket scandal of last year where he had abandoned Ellie because of a temper tantrum, the embarrassment he had felt because of it had been visible and audible the last time we had talked about it, I had thought he would know better by now, but Elena had as always triggered him in a way only she was capable of, something I couldn't even do in my wildest dreams - not that I wanted to, of course. I couldn't blame Christian for his ex wife's ridiculous behavior, nor could I blame him for being angry at her for what she had done to him and Ellie, especially not while she seemed to be determined to interfere in his life whenever she could, just to piss him off maybe, or just for the sake of a weird pissing contest she had going on with me – something I would never bother to participate in, for God's sake -, but while Christian was only human, while he deserved to be angry with her as much as he wanted to, I had thought as a father he would know better than to bring Ellie into this. It was bad enough that Elena had no shame to play with her own daughter's happiness, but Christian putting his own feud – intentionally or not - before his daughter was even worse.

It wasn't something I had expected from my otherwise perfect boyfriend. Maybe that was the problem, maybe I had put him on a holy pedestal which was now wobbling dangerously, a threat to my expectations and illusions.

My silence was over as soon as Ellie's tears felt like acid on my throbbing heart. I felt like I could bite a few heads off.

"Hey, Ellie? How about Andrea and Jose take you inside? Ms. Williams will come, too. Maybe she will give you one of her cookies. You know what? She hides them from us in her office." I forced a smile as I whispered to the girl in my arms, her nose crunching as she sniffed. It was obvious that cookies had caught her attention, Andrea immediately at our sides with open arms and a soothing voice.

"And a big glass of milk, too." She promised with a cheeky smile, Ellie looking from her to me again as she waited for me to nod in approval. I relaxed when she was in my friend's arms, her concerned look toward her angry daddy not missed by any of us. Christian was too busy with his monologue to notice what was going on, my guts clenching with anger as I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. I couldn't let him near his daughter like this, he needed time for himself right now.

"Call Mrs. Grey." I whispered firmly to Leila who nod with widened eyes, taking my colleagues with her as she made her way inside, giving me the privacy I needed.

Only when I approached him slowly, Christian noticed Ellie's absence, his eyes frantically looking around. The skin on his cheeks was flushed, not adorably for once.

"Where is Ellie? Where is she?" He asked out of breath, daring a step toward the building behind me, but my raised hand stopped him. A questioning look crossed his face, before he cursed with a clenched jaw. the look I gave him must have spoken volumes as he seemed to realize what just had happened.

"Fuck. Ana, I am sorry. You shouldn't have seen this. Baby, this has nothing to do with you." He whispered with darkened eyes, daring another step forward, this time toward me with open arms. I didn't lower my hand, making him stop, as I tried to concentrate on the issue of him being thoughtless around his daughter, instead of the disappointment I was feeling – in him for his reckless behavior and in me for letting all for this happen in the first place.

"Nobody should have seen this, Christian." I said with pinched lips, his brows reaching his forehead. "Especially Ellie. She is inside with the others."

"I know. I know. I am sorry, believe me. But Elena, she just brings out the worst in me. The things she does hurt my daughter, Ana." He sighed, his hair getting lost between his hair as he ruffed it, the furious lightning bolts in his eyes now more visible than ever.

"That's not the only thing hurting Ellie." I nod, now crossing my arms at my chest. "You do, too, Christian. At least, you have done today."

"Excuse me?" He gasped, brows furrowed in confusion as he stepped back automatically, now sounding dismissive. "You don't know what you are talking about. I have done nothing but protect my daughter from her own mother."

"Oh, you know that Elena is her mother? Great. By now, I had thought you didn't even remember." I snapped, something hot and painful sitting in the back of my throat, ready to explode.

"Ana. Don't." Christian whispered darkly, raising one finger in warning. "This has nothing to do with you."

It was obvious that I had crossed an imaginary line, entering the no-go zone, but while Christian wasn't welcoming me here, I was certain that I had been ignoring this particular matter for far too long now, being an unfortunate witness many times. But since I was deeply, madly and hopelessly in love with this man, his happiness was my purpose, just like his daughter's.

As his girlfriend and as his lover, I had to make him see his wrongdoings and mistakes.

"Yes, this is all about you, Christian. This is about you blaming Elena to the point that you can't see what you have been doing wrong all along." I said after a deep sigh, trying not to mirror his dark voice, I wasn't looking for a fight after all. "I am just trying to help you because I care for you and Ellie, I love you both to the point that it physically pains me whenever I see you both getting hurt and while Elena is no saint, God no, you also rub salt into the wounds she has left by letting her affect you. Right in front of your poor daughter, out of all people."

"Do you want me to let Elena ruin our lives? Of course, I am going to react accordingly. She does this all the time, Ana. Whenever she doesn't get her way, she is willing to do anything, even hurting her own child, no matter at what cost." He said with an angry grunt, his hands clenched tightly beside his tense body.

"No, of course not." I said with a head shake, biting my lip as I tried to find courage for my next words. "But, Christian, you have done it again. The supermarket. What happened then has repeated itself today."

The air in his body left his lungs in a loud _whoosh_ as he looked at me with widened eyes, his lips parted.

"What?" He asked quietly, making my guts clench in pain as a tiny part of me hated hurting him, but it was something I had to go through for the greater good.

"You have forgotten about Ellie completely today, just like back then. You have abandoned her because you couldn't control your emotions which is nothing I can blame you for normally, but I thought you regretted what had happened, Christian. I had thought you wouldn't do the same mistake again." I said, biting my lip nervously as I watched him, his eyes squeezing tightly, making the skin around them crinkle.

Panicked by his silence, I went on, hands fumbling in the air as I tried to explain his mistakes, hopefully without offending him because that was the last thing I wanted to do.

"I mean, not deliberately, of course. I would never think that you would hurt Ellie deliberately, but when Elena once again managed to get to you, you lost control. I just want you to know that Ellie is the only one getting hurt in the process. Elena doesn't seem to care about the reactions you have to give, or maybe she ran away because she was overwhelmed, I don't know, and I don't think you care about her, but you care about Ellie, obviously. Your anger hurts her, Christian."

The pain visible in his features was like a dagger to my heart, his pain was mine just like his happiness, his sorrow, and his love. I wanted to share everything with this man, negative emotions included, I wanted to be by his side when he was the happiest and I wanted to be the one healing his wounds when he was hurting.

"I never wanted that to happen." He whispered, disgust audible in his voice as he spoke, disgust directed at himself. "I never wanted my daughter to get hurt."

"I know, believe me, I know that. You are trying so hard, Christian." I said softly, tension leaving my body as I slowly stepped toward him, my hands soothingly grasping his arms, caressing them in up and down motions.

He lowered his head with pinched lips, eyes closed tightly as he took deep breaths. Being smaller than him was an advantage for once, hiding his face from me wasn't as easy as he had hoped it to be.

I tried to sound as encouraging as possible.

"But while I get why you are angry at your ex, while I know that you have the right to be frustrated with her, I think you are not doing Ellie a favor by making her an unfortunate witness of your negative feelings toward her mother. You two are the most important people in her little life, the people she trusts most, and seeing you two fight over and over again will make her feel like she is the reason why you guys are fighting. You both love her, Elena in her own twisted way as you have said once, but yes, she loves her daughter and maybe that's why she is trying to interfere in your life, maybe she fears that you moving on means her daughter moving on. I am not trying to defend her, in the end it's her very own behavior causing all of this, but while she ruins her relationship with her daughter by being the person that she is, you don't really try to make Ellie understand that her mother loves her, no matter what."

"What? I never tried to sabotage Ellie's relationship with..." He suddenly snapped, eyes narrowed at me, my eye roll interrupting his outburst.

"Deliberately, no. But indirectly, you do all the time when you don't talk about her, when you frown whenever she is mentioned, something that I am sure Ellie doesn't miss because she is perceptive for her age. What do you think Ellie is feeling right now? After her mother has nonchalantly announced that she wouldn't get the role she was excited for? And after she has witnessed her father exploding like a landmine?" I asked with one raised brow, patiently waiting for him to register my words' meaning, earning a distressed head shake.

"Can you blame me for not wanting to talk about Elena?" He sounded like he was suppressing getting louder, something I was grateful for. I didn't know how I would have reacted if he had screamed at me, my patience probably running out.

"No, your reasons are understandable. I don't expect you to braid her hair and talk about your feelings with her as you decide to be best friends for life, for fuck's sake. But your own feelings toward her shouldn't stand in the way between Ellie and her mother, or what she thinks of her mother. You should make sure that Ellie feels loved by you and her mother, no matter how problematic your own situation is. I understand your anger and your disappointment, I really do, but Ellie is young, too young, and she deserves parents who uplift her. While we can't make Elena change her attitude, God knows she should, you can be the bigger person here, you can show your daughter that her mother, her father, her grandparents, everyone around her loves and cherishes her. Elena is no angel, but she loves Ellie. I don't think she would bother otherwise."

"I know she does." Christian whispered, huffing loudly. "Believe me, I know. But sometimes, I only see her as the woman who has abused my trust."

It was the confession I had wanted to hear, the confession Christian had needed to make to himself before he could move on properly. The hot fist around my throat let lose, enough for me to relax a little bit.

"She isn't, though. It's not too late to remedy your own mistakes, hers are her problem. It's only the best for Ellie."

"She needs to change her behavior toward Ellie." He said, determined, lips pursed tightly. "I won't let her put her childish needs above my daughter's. And as a mother, she should be aware of that."

"Have you tried talking about this with her?" I asked tenderly, doubtful that a conversation like that could have been successful.

Christian rolled his gray eyes at me, an annoyed sigh leaving his mouth.

"Of course. But Elena being Elena has made any effort on my side worthless."

"Or maybe you had a wrong approach." I suggested with a shrug, feeling his arms tense underneath my touch as his eyes darkened again.

I licked my lips nervously before I went on.

"I mean, you two are pretty hot headed. The few times I saw you interact, you were fighting. Maybe the real issue got lost in the moment of your fight, maybe there is a different way you guys could deal with this. You know, talk like two mature adults."

"You said it yourself, she triggers me to the point I lose control." He said, obviously feeling queasy. "And I think in a way, I bring out the immaturity in her."

"Maybe you could start with agreeing on that you bring out the worst in each other. And then maybe agreeing on putting Ellie's happiness above your divorce from now on."

"It is already above everything else for me, Ana." He noted with a pointed look, something I registered with one raised brow and a snarky comment.

"I thought we had established that while you say you put her needs above everything else, you still lose control and forget about everything when Elena does her usual shenanigans?What have we been talking for the last twenty minutes, Christian?"

He looked cute when he lowered his head in embarrassment, cheeks blushing as he cursed silently, followed by an immediate apology.

"Fuck. Sorry. You know what I meant. I'm sorry for everything, I never wanted to hurt Ellie, and I certainly didn't want you to be in the middle of this whole mess."

"Your mess is my mess. I just would prefer if we were not in any kind of mess, and I am happy to help." I said with an encouraging smile, my hands freeing his from his tight embrace of his own body, our fingers intertwining. Warm tingles spread in my body when our skin touched.

"I don't think Elena wants to hurt Ellie, either. Not deliberately because she loves her daughter, but I think whatever personal agenda she has going on blinds her to the point she unintentionally breaks hearts, something you two can easily solve by behaving like two mature beings, instead of fighting at any given opportunity." I went on with a tilted head, my brows furrowing as I sighed resigned. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's pretty much her fault when she acts like a huge bitch, but you can be the bigger person here for your daughter. And maybe, just maybe, if Elena sees how you manage it, maybe she will see her own mistakes and get her shit together."

"She is too proud for that." He noted with an arrogant grimace, my eyes reaching heaven.

"And you are too angry. Both of you need to check yourselves. As soon as possible if you want to be the parents, Ellie truly deserves."

"You know what's the only thing bothering me after today?" Christian asked me with raised brows, displeasure audible in his voice. "I have disappointed her. Again. I have failed my own promises, promises I had given myself after my divorce, promises to make sure my kid grows up in a healthy and safe household, but as soon as Elena has managed to get under my skin, I fucked up. Big time."

I didn't like the thought of Elena or any part of her being under Christian's skin, but that was a whole other issue, nothing that required my attention now. Jealousy had no place here.

"You can change today's events by growing up, civilly talking to Elena from now on when your daughter is around for starters. And keeping that temper under control. Ellie is a child, she wants and needs the love of her parents, but it won't matter if she sees them fighting again and again, that way she will only feel responsible. She will think that she doesn't deserve your love if she keeps blaming herself."

"I promise I will try. I don't want my daughter to feel unworthy of my love for her, not while she means the world to me." He said with determination set deep in his gray eyes, his hands suddenly grasping my cheeks to pull me into a tight embrace, a quick, hard kiss pressed into my lips. I had not enough time to gasp, the kiss over before I could comprehend what was going on, Christian's next words barely reaching my bemused mind.

"Thank you, Ana. I love you, God, I love you madly. I know you feel the same way, but today you proved that your love is big enough for me and my daughter, and I didn't think I could love you more, but after today I know for sure that there is no limit for what I feel for you."

I gulped down the tears trying to squeeze their way out of my eyes, my heart fluttering with joy as I smiled brightly.

"I love you, too. Both of you, Ellie and you, or anything and anyone else in your life."

 _Even your crazy ex and prejudiced father. Maybe not as much as I love you, though. Let's agree on that I would gladly tolerate them for you. Yeah, that sounds good._

"Ellie must have freaked out. God, I seriously fucked up today. Let's get inside, I need to see my daughter." He said with a worried tone, making a step forward before I stopped him with a tug on his arms. He gave a questioning look.

"Maybe you should go cool off." I proposed, watching him shake his head immediately. "I already have your mother called, Christian. Don't worry, I will make sure Ellie gets home safe, which shouldn't be a problem since her grandmother is picking her up."

"I don't want to let my daughter alone anymore. Not after today. She needs me." He said with narrowed eyes, his reaction nothing I hadn't expected. I tried to reason with him, keeping my calm.

"You need time for yourself right now, too, you know. You are too wound up with what happened and things are probably too fresh for Ellie, too, anyway. Go and think about what happened today, give yourself some time to pull yourself together before you face your daughter. I promise you we will take care of her." I said reassuringly, watching his reluctance crumble underneath my stare, a nervous look replacing the shadowed one on his face.

"I just don't want her to think that I abandoned her again." He said, his voice quiet and full of pain, my heart clenching with sharp tugs at my flesh. While I could understand his concerns, I knew him good enough to know that he needed to process what had happened today with his ex and his realization afterward, agreeing with me and fully understanding what I had tried to explain him were two very different animals after all. Ellie would be safe and happy with her grandmother for now, I would make sure to assure her that her daddy was going to be with her soon.

"You are not abandoning her. She isn't alone or helpless, she has her grandmother and she has me. I will make sure she knows that you will be back soon, don't worry. Maybe you could try to talk to Elena..." I proposed with a shrug, interrupted by a groan of his.

He shook his head with an annoyed eye roll, massaging his temples.

"I don't think I can face her right now. I need time before I can talk to her without losing control again." Christian said with pinched lips. "And I guess, she probably needs her time and space, too."

I just nod in agreement, imagining Elena's state of mind right now. Something told me that someone as proud as Elena Lincoln would be embarrassed deeply after the scandalous encounter she and her ex had performed in front of everyone today. And I was even more sure that once again she would be blaming Christian only for what had happened, not seeing her own share of mistakes as usual. That was certainly not something Christian would like to hear now from her.

Grace arrived after I sent Christian off, barely managing him to drive off without bursting inside to get his daughter. I wondered if I should have let him talk to his daughter for a second, imagining little Ellie's sadness, but I was certain that neither of them would have let go off each other if they had seen each other. Like I said, it was probably for the best to give Christian some time alone to think about his relationship with his ex and to clear his mind. He made me promise to call him as soon as Ellie shed one tear, telling me that his phone would be with him all the time.

His mother was furious when she heard what happened today. I had waited for her outside, wanting to bring her into the loop before she faced Ellie.

"These two." She snapped with narrowed eyes, hands at her hips as she shook her head, disappointment audible in her voice. "I don't know who is worse. Elena with her egoism or Christian with his temper."

"I told Christian to leave Ellie to you for now, so he can cool off and do the thinking he should have done a long time ago, to be honest." I told her, my brows furrowing at the memory of the conversation I had with my boyfriend. He was so stubborn sometimes, and like Grace had said, his temper was too fragile for his own good.

"I have tried to tell him that, but he refused to listen. He is just like his father in that way. A real pain in the ass."

The curse coming out of her mouth didn't fit her attire, a chic midnight blue skirt and a spotless white blouse covered by a light brown cardigan, leather shoes with the same color beneath. Her hair was as glossy as always, the sun glimmering in her waves.

"I just wish it hadn't come to this point. He will blame himself even more now. You should have seen how he felt bad about abandoning Ellie." I said with sunken shoulders, my stomach feeling queasy. I was anxious with the need to rush to him, wanting to help him and feeling a little guilty about the harsh words – no matter how true and past due they had been – I had hit him with today. We had parted ways in peace, but the thought of hurting him made my patience ran out.

"My son can sure blame himself for a lot of things, Ana. Being a bad father isn't one of them. When you have children, suddenly your world starts revolving around them. You lose touch to everything and everyone around you, even your dear husband becomes of minor importance, because suddenly there is this human being you created, needing all of your attention and protection. It can get to the point that you forget that you are only human, too, that you have needs, too. Christian has been putting his own needs and wishes aside since he married Elena, which makes things even worse, Ellie's birth has only fueled that matter." Grace narrowed her eyes at her own words, a pitiful smile curling her lips afterward as her hand reached to pat my arm gently, her eyes soft as she looked at me. "I am glad he met you, Ana. He has been waiting for you for quite some time now."

"I have been waiting, too. I just didn't know I was until I met him." I confessed, remembering all our first memories together, the winks, the flirting, the denial I had tried to go through, but in the end I had found my way into his arms and his heart, and lastly his home. I was glad I had found him, having been lost until then.

Ellie had stopped crying when I lead Grace inside to my classroom where the little girl was sitting at her usual table with colorful pencils and papers spread in front of her, Andrea ahhing and ohhing at the things they drew together. An half empty class of milk was placed beside a plate of cookies on the table beside them, Ellie having left crumbs of the cookies she had devoured greedily.

"Nana!" Ellie exclaimed when she looked up from her painting of what seemed to be a tea party of Disney princesses, the skin beneath her eyes reddish from her previous crying. Soon she was in Grace's arms, her arms tightly hugging her grandmother's neck as they exchanged whispered words. I gave them some privacy by discreetly walking up to my friend, giving her a questioning look.

"It took us some time, but she was distracted eventually." Andrea told me with a worried expression. "Where is Christian?"

"I sent him off. He was too shaken to be around her. He needs some time to think." I said with a deep breath, my ears peaked when I heard some of the words coming out of Ellie's mouth.

"Daddy threw a rock at mummy." She said with narrowed eyes, her little mouth pouting.

Grace's eyebrows shot high, her eyes widen as they stared at me. I probably should have elaborated my version of the story earlier.

"At the car after Elena drove off." I explained quietly, feeling Ellie's nosy look on my blushing face.

"That was still not a nice thing to do, right, Ms. Steele?" She asked me with a tilted head.

"Of course not, Ellie. I am sure your daddy feels awful because of that and I am sure he will apologize." I said calmly, my explanation only causing a different type of question as soon as she was pleased with what she had heard.

"Where is my daddy? Nana, where is daddy?" The little girl asked with her lips curled down, the tears immediately back in her eyes. I gulped down the knot in the back of my throat caused by her mood switch.

"He went to apologize to your mother. He felt so bad about what he had done, he decided they needed to talk. Grown-ups can be so childish sometimes, but they know that they can talk about anything with each other. I am sure your mum will forgive him." I said quickly when Grace looked like she was struggling with an answer, a thankful smile given to me by her afterward.

Ellie's brows furrowed while Andrea let out a quiet snort beside me. I could practically hear my friend's thoughts, _who will forgive Elena for what she done?_

My boyfriend's daughter seemed to think something similar.

"What about mummy? She has said that I wouldn't play the butterfly. Shouldn't she apologize for that, too?" Her gray eyes were piercing as she looked from one of us to the other, waiting for answers patiently.

"Ah, the school play didn't change because of your mother, dear." Grace lied with a sweet smile, opting for keeping her grandchild's knowledge about her mother's intrigues to a minimum, something I couldn't blame her for. "I am sure _Red Riding Hood_ will be as good as anything you could play."

"Besides, I am sure the butterfly will pay _Red Riding Hood_ a visit on stage." Andrea added with a big smile, winking at the little girl who looked at her with a confused expression. "I have heard that it will help _Red_ to save her grandmother."

"But that's not how things are in the fairy tale." Ellie mumbled, speaking out of my thoughts before I could voice them, an equally confused look on my face now, too.

"Just wait and see. Until then, this stays between us, okay?" Andrea giggled, ignoring the questioning look I gave her. She was obviously up to something. The silent memory of her promising words from earlier today made me wonder what her game was, I would make sure to find out as soon as possible.

Ellie seemed pleased with that answer, nagging that she wanted to go home now and demanding to see her daddy. I didn't miss the fact that she didn't seem to be worried about her mother, somehow her personal grudge standing in the way of things. Maybe she did notice all the little things her mother did, maybe she would be the one teaching Elena how not to fuck up by making her realize that she could cut her off her life when she grew up. I wondered if Elena wasn't too blind to see that.

Grace persuaded her granddaughter to spend the day with her and her grandfather, who would make her the Mac'n'Cheese she loved so much and maybe even watch a movie or two with her. Ellie seemed to be distracted with the possibility of food and movies at her grandparents' place, only insisting on calling her daddy at least to hear his voice. Grace agreed more than willingly.

"And I want Ms. Steele, too." The little girl demanded with a pout, her skilfully used puppy dog eyes taking no prisoners. It was hard to say no to her, especially on a day like this.

On our drive to the Grey's house, I quickly texted Christian as I patiently answered all of Ellie's questions coming from the back seat. Grace gave me a loving smile from the driver's seat as she maneuvered us through the city.

"Ms. Steele, why do cows moo?"

"Ms. Steele, can I call you Ana now? We are not at school anymore. Can I call you Ana, Ana?"

"Ana, where do unicorns live?"

 **We are taking Ellie to your parents' place. She is fine. Don't worry.**

 **Love you. Ax**

It was easy to say not to worry, but I was sure that Christian was probably going bonkers with worry. He needed to worry about himself for once, too, though, the day reserved for him to calm down and think about his life and relationships. It wasn't like he was on the other end of the world, he could always drop by.

His answer came soon.

 **I couldn't stay home. I am with Jason now. Will call you soon. Take care of my girls for me today. I want them both happy.**

 **Love you too. Cx.**

"Ana, do you love my father?"

Ellie's latest question nearly made me drop my phone at which I had been smiling at dumbly, mostly caused by my boyfriend's last words. A dry cough was caught in the back of my throat, panic rising quickly inside me.

Confessing my feeling to the man I loved was one thing, but his little daughter demanding answers regarding my feeling for her father was something else. I didn't need turn around to know that her gray eyes, the same as his, were piercing through me with one brow raised in a knowing and daring way, the cockiness was genetic it seemed.

I wondered how much Christian had told his daughter, or if there was the need to declare our emotions to her, too, to make things official or something. I guessed truth was the best option, if not the only one.

"Yes, Ellie, I do love your father." I confessed with a nervous gang of butterflies fluttering in my chest, my breath shaking as I slowly turned my head to look at the girl. My answer was registered with an impassive look, the seconds ticking painfully slow as I waited for any kind of reaction, only Grace's slightly coughing audible. Great.

I hadn't realized until now that Ellie's approval was essential, at least I had thought that I already had her approval, but it seemed me and her father confessing love to each other brought things to a new level.

"Just like he loves you, like your nana loves you and like your grandpa loves you. Just like your mother loves you. And just like I love you, too. I care for the two of you very much." I added with a smile, trying to cause a reaction. Her silence was scary, especially on a day like this, my thoughts running wild with possibilities of her throwing another temper tantrum, maybe being jealous, maybe not wanting to share her daddy with me or anyone, something I couldn't judge since she was only a child, an only child of divorced parents to make matters worse, but yet I feared it because she was an important part of my life now.

"He loves you, too." She simply said with a shrug, her attention back on the passing by area, her little eyes widen with enthusiasm as she saw horses, finger pointing immediately with childish excitement. "Oh, look. Horses! Do you think they are unicorns? Maybe we can't see their horns."

I didn't even try to hide the relief I was feeling.

"If only our men were that simple." Grace noted with a side glance toward me, her lips curled with a cheeky grin. I laughed nervously at her words.

"I'm sure they think the same about us." I said, remembering a few times in which Christian had rolled his eyes at what he called _my pigheadedness_. I didn't know why he was insisting on that, I wasn't _that_ stubborn.

"Carrick is probably the only man who knows that he is the difficult one in our relationship." She told me nonchalantly, the mention of her husband calling unpleasant memories to mind. I was certainly not looking to meeting him again today, only Ellie's pleas having made me go weak. He was one of the two people who blamed Christian for everything others he had no responsibility of – like his cheating ex wife. Elena and he were certainly a dream team.

I didn't know how to respond to her words, having not many nice things to say about him, especially since our last encounter was pretty much tasteless and unfortunate.

She was quick to notice my painful silence, a knowing look crossing her face. She hadn't missed the exchange between me, Carrick and Christian at the dinner they had hosted to get to know me, and I was certain that she had heard about Carrick's and mine private talk in which he had even been more brazen than before, telling me to know my place and not to interfere in Ellie's relationship with her mother. Christian had suspected that his words were induced by Elena herself, apparently his ex had told his father all about her worries of being replaced in her daughter's life, once again not seeing that her own actions were what kept getting in her way with her daughter.

"My husband cares for the people around him." She said with furrowed brows. "Maybe a little too intense and too strategically to give a good first impression. He wants to protect everyone around him, but of course, that's no excuse for how he behaves and treats others."

I threw a nervous look toward Ellie through the rear-view-mirror, but the little girl was too busy with the toys laying around her. I had found out that Grace kept toys in various sizes ready for Ellie's attention in her car.

"I'm sure that his real intentions were pure." I said with a nod, forcing a smile for Grace's sake. "I just felt like I was _unwelcome._ "

Grace shook her head immediately, noticing the way I stressed my last word. If it had been anyone else, I never would have been able to open up in any way, but Grace was the kind of person to ray out confidence and trust. Christian resembled her in that way, which I was very grateful for. I wondered if we would have ended up together if he was more like his father.

"Believe me, that is not the case. We couldn't be more grateful to have someone like you in our son's life, and yes, my husband agrees, trust me. At your last encounter, he was..." She stopped, biting her lip as she threw a nervous look toward Ellie through the rear-view-mirror, before she continued. "He was _misguided_ by other people's views. He thought he was doing someone else a favor, not because he had personal issues with you. Of course, he shouldn't judge you before getting to know you, but that's my husband for you. He acts before thinking, even though he claims he has thought everything through."

The loving tone of her voice made me wonder if Carrick could be that bad if someone as gentle as Grace was willing to spend a life with him. Nonetheless, he had been a dick to me.

"Christian says that his father cares about the opinion of _other people_." I said, my pointed look making clear whom I was speaking about, choosing not to give names in case Ellie was intently listening. For now, she seemed busy with making her little action figures jump around each other in what seemed to be a battle of honor or love. She had a wild fantasy.

Grace looked a little uncomfortable as she grasped the steering wheel tightly, a sigh leaving her lips.

"That's complicated. My husband had expectations, ridiculous ones if you ask me, and for a while he refused to see that our son was a grown-up, able to make own decisions. I made sure that he put that attitude aside as soon as possible, but until then most of the damage was done, which is why Christian keeps thinking that Carrick isn't proud of the man he has become. But that's not the case, Ana. My husband loves our son and by now he knows better than to judge his decisions. It's just that he has a soft spot for _that_ woman, too, and to be honest, as complicated as she is, she is no devil. Most of the times, she is the one complicating the situation only because she doesn't know any other way to deal with everything. I think, Carrick resembles her in that way. Well, _resembled_ , sometimes still does of course, but I think, just like in any good relationship, I have managed to get a better version of himself out of him. I think if she had a good relationship with someone, she could also become a better version of herself. That's why her marriage failed."

Her words tied my tongue as I thought about what she had said, more forthcoming than Christian in her way. According to her, Carrick was only trying to protect those he cared about, Elena being one of these people, and when she had ran to him, sad about my relationship with Ellie – and not with Christian like I had originally suspected – and fearing about being replaced, he had acted without thinking, doing what he could do best – deliver the message clearly and directly like the attorney he was, in order to prevent someone he loved to get hurt. I couldn't judge him for that, only for his brusque attitude, he certainly could have told me his opinion in a more civil way.

But while Grace swore that he had nothing but pure intentions, I couldn't stop wondering about the things he had accused Christian with. He had been unnecessarily cruel when he had told me about Christian running away from any kind of responsibilities or how he would get bored with me soon. By now, I was certain that none of his statements were true, only biased by the pipe dreams he had created himself by misreading Christian's decisions and of course, biased by Elena and whatever lies she had fed him – God knew intentionally or unintentionally.

I somehow doubted that Carrick was truly that proud of what Christian had made out of his life, but I saved my thoughts to myself since I saw no point in discussing such important matters in front of Ellie. Beside, something told me that Grace would find excuses for whatever I had to say, too.

Her husband greeted us with worry written on his face. Obviously, I got a less warmer welcome that his wife or his granddaughter, but at least he was polite enough to ask me about my well-being before he bombarded us with questions about today. Apparently, when Leila had called, Grace had been the one to pick up, only leaving a small note attached to the fridge before she head over to the kindergarten. He had discovered it after she left, his calls to her phone unanswered.

"Where is Christian?" He asked with furrowed brows after we whisper told him what had occurred, while Grace sent Ellie off to the living room. "The teacher could come with you, but our dear son had something better to do? Funny, I thought Ms. Steele was the only distraction he had these days."

My brows shot high on my face as I didn't miss his snarky tone, something I was used to by now, but this time I was determined not to allow it. My knowledge about him had been refreshed, yet it had not improved my opinion.

Grace didn't give me a chance, though. She pinched her lips at him, angry red spots forming on her cheeks.

"That was rude, Carrick. I thought you know better than that. _Ana_ is always welcome at our house and in our lives, I thought we had agreed on that. And if you are really wondering about Christian's whereabouts, maybe you could start wondering if maybe for once your son needs your support, instead of your endless lectures. Moral support, that would be a nice change, don't you think?"

Her words were hard, making me regret my thoughts about her excusing anything her husband does. She certainly didn't try to protect him right now, in front of me out of all the people.

Carrick looked like she had slapped him across his face, something I would have liked to do to him for being a dick, his eyes widen with shock as all color left his face.

"Honey,.." He stuttered with a nervous look toward me, his wife ignoring his sweet nickname before she flipped her hair over her shoulder, strutting after her granddaughter who had turned on the TV, noises of a cartoon filling the silence I was left in with my boyfriend's rude father.

His expression made it clear that he would have preferred that I didn't get to witness such a private moment between him and his wife. I suppressed the joy I was feeling, out of respect for Grace, but I decided now was the perfect time to put in my two cents.

With the power of all three of _Khaleesi's_ dragons inside my chest, I crossed my arms at my chest, giving him my most disappointed look – the one only reserved for my naughty students.

"I send Christian away because he was in no state to be around his daughter. You won't believe it, but he is only human and even if claims to hate Elena, he still is affected by her choices, especially those regarding their daughter. He was out of his mind when he saw how his little girl was crying because her mother had a childish agenda with me, a pissing contest which was unnecessary, if you ask me. Yes, he overreacted when he found out, God forgive him for being not free of mistakes, but only saw red because he cares about his daughter. What's your excuse?" I asked with a hard tone, watching him open and shut his mouth in surprise, before he mirrored my posture with an equally challenging expression on his face.

"I don't know who do you think you are talking to, Ms. Steele, but I would appreciate it if you guard your tongue. You don't get to interfere..."

I interrupted him with an arrogant snort.

"I'm interfering because I care about the little girl inside and I care about your son. I care about them enough to face you if needed, but I just wish it wasn't needed. Instead of telling me what I am allowed to and where I am not welcome, for once maybe, you should worry about your son's well-being. You haven't asked about him once, even after we told you about the day he just said. I bet, you were worried about Elena, though, right? Why? Because she fits the idiotic image of an ideal child you have? Let me tell you this, Mr. Grey, I have seen different types of children in my short time as a teacher, and Christian is one of the best, which is why Ellie is one of the best because she has a father like him. I am sure Elena has good qualities, but until today the only good qualities I could see in Ellie were completely Christian. Your son might have not made the career you had pictured for him, maybe he doesn't have the marriage you wish he had, but those things mean nothing while he is the best version of himself, a caring father who only wants best for his kid. You should be proud of him, even if you don't deserve the honor."

"Ana,..."

I wasn't listening to him, he didn't deserve my attention any longer, not while he kept hurting the man I loved because of some ridiculous ideas he had.

"Oh, and before you ask, no, Christian didn't run away today, if that is what you are thinking." I added with a smirk, feeling victorious in my skin. "In fact, he didn't want to leave and he wouldn't have if I hadn't forced him because he deserved one day of time for himself to do thinking he should have done months ago. Unlike what you keep telling him, he just knew better to let go, sometimes fighting for things is only lost energy and not worth time and trouble. Just like his marriage to Elena. Ever thought about that?"

 _Leave it to me to leave the Grey men speechless today._

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to pepe71 for this chapter ;)**

 **Ah, yes, Ana telling people her piece of mind. Do you think her words will be heard and listened? Tbh, I don't like how this turned out, but this is all i got for you now. Hope you had fun *smooches***

 **I think I said this at least 4 different times now, but this time it's the real deal: Only one more chapter to go. The next one will be the last one. Prepare tissues ;)**

 **Until next time,**

 **Melii xoxo**


	29. Chapter 29

**Last time.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **NOT BETAED! Not even edited. I don't love it, but it's what I got for you. Sorry.**

 **THANKS FOR THE PATIENCE!**

* * *

 **29\. From Ana and Christian**

The graduation party was on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

We had organized wooden tables and chairs for our guests, all placed on the freshly cut green grass of the kindergarten's playground and facing the small stage area in front of the sandpit where the band we had found thanks to Elliott had set their instruments, their soft and funny songs entertaining the kids. The stage was decorated by trees, flowers and one wooden house made out of cardboards, all necessary items for our play, a red long carpet right in the middle so the kids could pass it while we handed them their graduation certificates – something Andrea, Nicole and I had prepared just two nights ago at Christian's garden while he had bewitched us with his barbecue skills and cocktails.

He had been more than willing to help with anything we needed for today, Jason and he being our number one volunteers for carrying the heavy things. I had tried not to swoon watching his muscles flex and his brows furrow as he carried one of the wooden tables all by himself, the sun being not the only thing making me sweat. I wondered if I would ever stop swooning whenever I saw him.

Food and drinks were sponsored by a friend of one of the father's, something we were grateful for. Leila's ex had agreed to give us a few coolers so we could keep everything cool and fresh.

One by one our guests had soon arrived, kids running and playing around as busy as bees soon enough while their parents searched for some comfort in cold beers and juices. The heat had us all sweating, it would have been wise to find some sun umbrellas for today but somehow neither of us had thought about that.

"The make-up will melt off their faces." Andrea had noted with a pout when she and I were trying to make the kids who were participating in the play sit still enough for us to get them ready.

The play had a different plot now. It was neither solely my butterfly story, nor Red Riding Hood like the parents had insisted on after Elena had convinced them to do so because of childish reasons aka her pissing contest with me. Afraid that I would replace her in Ellie's life, she had chosen to manipulate anyone she could by feeding them God knew what lies and promises. While Ellie had been sad that they wouldn't get to play the butterfly story anymore – sad enough to throw a tantrum which caused Christian to cause an even worse tantrum and which made Elena run for the hills -, my clever friend Andrea had come up with a plan.

It was petty as heck, but nobody could blame us for that.

We had interpreted Red Riding Hood a little differently, adding my written story into it, therefore giving everyone what they wanted. The kids got to keep the characters they had fallen in love with it in a short amount of time and the parents got their wish since we were playing Red Riding Hood – we had jokingly named it Red: The Return of the Butterfly. The big bad wolf would have to face a powerful butterfly with magic wings who could turn evil into good, grandmother and granddaughter saved by it in the process. The bees would be the butterfly's allies, helping by providing him with the honey magic only they were capable of creating.

Of course, we had gotten a few not pleased calls from some parents.

They had called to remind us that they wouldn't be volunteering as help if we didn't hold onto our word, sounding more like the local mob than concerned parents. Leila had thanked them for their concerns, we would find help somewhere else, and wished them a nice day. Soon enough we got lesser phone calls of that type, not that we were bothered. It was one thing to be concerned about your kid but threatening a kindergarten for not playing Red Riding Hood was insane. From Grace I later on found out that she had a word with Elena about her desperate tries to sabotage our graduation party, something Christian's ex shamelessly confessed as a way not to give me and Ellie something else to bond on – apparently the little girl had been fascinated with me for writing that story, something her mother misunderstood as me being the new mother figure in Ellie's life. Elena had told Grace that she had promised some mothers free products of her brand in exchange of being her allies, something Christian's mother had whipped her ass for.

"As a mother I get her concerns about losing her daughter. But I honestly can't see what you could have done to ruin their relationship. If Ellie is more fascinated by you than with her, it speaks volumes about what kind of mother she is." Grace had told with a frown while I tried to keep a non-biased attitude. It would have been easy for me to hate Elena Lincoln just because she was my boyfriend's ex, but I decided to be the mature one and give her a second chance.

Christian had tried to talk to her about their recent fight, promising me that he would keep his cool even if she would try to provoke him. Their conversation had failed, though, since Elena wasn't as willing as he was to see the fault in herself rather than in everybody else. It was easier that way, I guess, and definitely childish, but it gave me a glimpse of her character which I had never expected to see.

She was insecure and uptight in her personal relationships, fearing that people would judge her for what she was which made her try harder to be spotless maybe. Of course, most of the times these tries failed miserably, but she had found a way in protecting herself by blaming Christian, me, maybe even Ellie.

Honestly, I didn't know how someone as professional as Elena Lincoln could be so insecure. I had to confess that it made her human, though.

At least Christian had found his inner peace regarding her, well that was what he kept promising anyway. He swore that from now on he would be reasonable and mature toward her, maybe not forgiving her for what she had done to him and Ellie in the past, but at least making sure that Ellie understood that her mother loved her even if she didn't have a traditional way of showing it. He had tried to tell Elena that she should try harder to make her daughter feel loved and appreciated, something I had to confess she had really given a try in the last weeks, but surprisingly now it was Ellie's turn to give her mother the cold shoulder.

"You look beautiful, baby." Elena said with a smile, kneeling in front of her daughter who was dressed as a butterfly. Andrea's mum had helped us with the costumes, they were colorful and cute.

"Are Nana and Grandpa there yet?" Ellie asked, eagerly trying to look out of the window of Leila's crowded office we were using as a dressing room. I was nearly knocked over by a 5-year-old dressed a bee.

"Yes, they are here. And you know who they brought? Uncle Jack is here." Elena said excitedly. We all had been shocked when she proposed that her brother who worked as a clown could entertain the kids after the show. God knew we hadn't expected anything nice from her, but we had been grateful anyway.

"How about us three spend some time together tomorrow? Maybe have some ice cream. How does that sound, baby? Your uncle has missed you a lot. And me too."

"I promised Daddy that I would help him in our garden. Ana will help, too."

The tips of my ears reddened and before Elena could throw me a toxic look I excused myself, hearing Andrea giggle beside me. I searched comfort at the buffet where I met Leila's girlfriend, Susie. She was talking to one of the mothers about her newest project as an artist, their conversation halting with my arrival and the words leaving Susie's mouth.

"Leila is understanding, thank God. She hasn't yet lost her cool whenever she finds a crumpled-up paper on the floor of our bedroom."

I could see all color leave Mrs. Brown's face as realization hit her, Susie unbothered with it. She smiled widely at me as a greeting, commenting how delicious the Corn Dogs were.

"Hey, S. We will start in about ten minutes. Can you tell the band to prepare everything?" I asked her nicely, while wondering if Leila had approved an early coming out. Last time I spoke to her she had doubts about the parents' opinion of her having a girlfriend.

Her doubts proved themselves true, because as soon as Susie was out of earshot, Mrs. Brown chuckled embarrassedly, leaning toward me over the buffet table in between us. She looked uncomfortable.

"Is that young lady _a friend_ of Ms. Williams?" She whispered, biting her lip as she looked eager to gather the newest gossip juice from me.

"Uh, Susannah is a friend of me, too. Isn't she nice?" I asked sweetly, not feeling like I had the right to confirm Mrs. Brown's observation. We exchanged small talk politely, before I excused myself for the second time this day. When I made my way to the table Christian was sitting at with his parents, I couldn't stop following Mrs. Brown with my eyes, not surprised when I saw her whispering with a pair of other parents. It wasn't hard to guess what they were talking about.

"There is my pretty lady." Christian greeted me, raising from his seat to press a gentle kiss to my cheek, his arm around my waist immediately. I shivered underneath his touch.

"Everything alright inside, Ana? Do you need any help?" Grace asked eagerly. I thanked her as we hugged, afterward sharing an awkward handshake with Christian's father. His smile was warmer than ever, our last conversation obviously having helped to progress our relationship. I was nowhere close to liking him, but me being absolutely blunt with him the last time we spoke had earned me his respect and politeness, something I was grateful to have since it made tolerating him so much easier. I didn't miss the chic looking blue blazer hanging over the chair beside him, though. It could only belong to Elena.

"We will begin shortly. Everything is set and ready." I informed the Grey's, wishing them fun before I dragged Christian with me, finding a private spot beside the swings for us.

"I heard we have a date tomorrow." I teased him, playing with the lapels of his button-down shirt, its sleeves tight around his biceps. He twirled a strand of my hair with a smile curling his lips.

"Want me to take you out? You could wear a dress for me, I could take it off. Sounds like a great idea."

His gray eyes twinkled with mischief as he tried to go for a kiss, something I blocked since I was still at work. I wondered what noisy Mrs. Brown would have said about me if she caught me kissing with my student's father.

"I heard something else." I said with a shrug, playfully sulking. "I heard you were making me work at your garden."

His brows furrowed before realization hit him. A sorry grin spread on his pretty face.

"Ah. Ellie and I thought about inviting you, too. All you would have to do is to look pretty and maybe cook us something."

"Sounds like a lot of hard work. You will have to pay me properly for that."

"I am sure I can come up with a few very convincing, _very dirty_ ways of paying you. In fact, if you let me I can give you a preview tonight, so you can see for yourself if all that hard work is worth your trouble." Christian whispered, shamelessly trying to squeeze me in between his body and a wooden beam. I flushed deep crimson, couching nervously as I suddenly felt like we were being watched by everyone around us.

"Elena's brother seems nice." I said to change the topic, earning a smile from my boyfriend.

"Jack has always been the easier to love one of the Lincoln siblings. He is a cool guy."

I had talked to the strawberry blond-haired man when he had arrived with Elena, the Grey's being the ones who introduced us, and from the five minutes I had talked to him I had soon discovered that he was in fact very nice and polite. Having arrived in dark jeans and a leather jacket as if he had a death wish in this heatwave, it had been shocking to see him in his clown costume afterward, the ball sitting on his nose as red as the spots spreading on his fair skin. I hadn't missed the glances Andrea had given him from afar, the waggle of her eyebrows when our eyes crossed making it obvious what she was thinking of. She had even asked me if I would mind if she became Elena's sister-in-law, something I gave her my blessing for if she and Jack were made to be together forever or something like that.

"He is not long in town, is he?" I asked Christian with a tilted head, his fingers reaching for mine now as he shook his head.

"He lives in San Francisco. From what I have heard he is only here for a couple of days."

"Maybe he and Elena could spend time with Ellie tomorrow. I am sure they would love that. And it's the only day Elena has off." I proposed, shyly biting my lip as I felt like I was crossing a line. Somehow the sad, desperate yet hopeful tone of Elena as she had asked Ellie if she would like to spend time with them had rained on my parade. I guessed that in a way I was fearing that Ellie would distance herself from her mother just like I had done in the last few years. She was still so young, they could save themselves so much trouble if Elena managed to man up.

"You think of everything, don't you?" Christian said with a smirk, his reaction relaxing me. He was so much calmer now whenever his ex was mentioned, I only hoped he could keep that attitude when he spoke to her now, too.

"I don't know. I just thought they would like it. Elena said something like that in the dressing room." I said with a shrug, our conversation over when someone called my name. It was time.

The band played the few tunes we had found online fitting our setting of the play, their help appreciated, as the kids one by one played their roles, the crowd listening and watching intently, here and there giggling at spoken words. My heart beat furiously inside my chest as I watched with a halting breath, nervously following everything like a hawk with my eyes, joy tingling in me as everyone looked pleased. The fun was written on the kids' faces, making all the hard work we had put into rehearsals worth the trouble.

Ellie was without mistake the star of the show, her costume sparklier than the others since she was the hero of the story, the wolf in the end learning a true lesson from her: to forgive and to love everyone, even your enemies and especially yourself. Your mistakes didn't have to define your future if you knew how to redeem them properly, seeking people's forgiveness and sharing the light that lay inside you. You were the protagonist of your life, the plot spinning with your decisions, the future wasn't set in stone and you had the power to become a better, the best even version of yourself if you were honest with yourself and the people around you.

Love and be loved.

It was that easy in the end.

I watched the play sitting next to Christian and his family, Elena sitting next to us, and I couldn't stop watching her cheer for her daughter as her little girl was on stage, as active as always, the shining star gaining attention wherever she went. I hoped Ellie would always stay that way and, in a way, I even hoped Elena wouldn't do the mistake to miss the beautiful, intelligent and witty woman her daughter was going to become sooner than later.

In between the fresh smell of grass, the unapologetic heat of the sun and the greasy smell of food, I took a deeper look into Elena Lincoln's eyes as she seemed to fight tears at the end of the play, her hands clapping wildly, the smile on her face infectious, and I saw what I had hoped to see all along.

Love.

It was relieving to see that she was at least honest with her love for Ellie. More importantly, it gave me hope that they would be able to solve all their problems.

Life wasn't that easy, though.

After the play, my hopes took a nosedive just like my mood when Ellie seemed to hold a surprising grudge against her mother whom she ignored if it wasn't necessary to talk to her. It seemed like the little girl hadn't forgotten about her mother's desperate try to sabotage the play she had been excited about, even though she had gotten what she wanted in the end.

Elena acted like she always had done. She blamed anyone except herself, petty as heck in her comments which eventually led to Christian snapping back. I had tried to drag him away from him, but she had made sure that she was always close by to make sure he knew that he had ruined her relationship with her daughter.

"Are you happy now, Christian?" She had asked with pursed lips, on our tails as we made beeline to the buffet for the millionth time that day, beer and food a desperate try to distract Christian.

It was one too many, it seemed. Christian groaned with furrowed brows before he slowly turned around, a deadly look given to his ex.

"For the love of God. Elena, will you please shut up? For once maybe you could try not to blame everybody else, how about that?" He asked loudly, obviously annoyed with her, attracting a few curious glances. He didn't seem to care and, what was more surprising, neither did she.

"Do you think I will allow you to feed lies about me to my daughter?" She gasped with a raised chin, hands at her hips. "Don't you think I know how you make sure she wants to spend less and less time with me? She declined to have ice cream with me and her uncle because she would rather work in your garden with you and _Ana!_ What child rather likes to work than have ice cream?"

I tried not to sigh tiredly, remembering how I had been hopeful just moments ago.

"A child who doesn't feel loved by her mother. A child who is old enough to see that her mother would do anything to get her way, even if that meant to break her daughter's heart. A child who isn't blind, Elena! If Ellie doesn't want to spend time with you, it's because of you. Not me or anyone else!"

I could have sworn I had heard a few gasps from our audience, the embarrassment making me blush.

"Maybe you guys should postpone this conversation to another more appropriate time. You aren't doing anyone a favor by fighting now and here out of all the places." I dared to say, earning an annoyed eye roll from the blonde woman in front of me. Her eyes were ice cold.

"Could you please mind your own business? Christian, tell your _girlfriend_ that this isn't something she can butt into just because she seems to think she has some sort of right to intervene."

"I am not intervening..." I tried to say, my shocked outburst interrupted by Christian with a furious expression on his face.

"Elena, guard your tongue. You have no right to speak to Ana like that."

Hurried footsteps were making their way toward us, a worried looking Grace followed by a grim looking Carrick were soon enough by our sides to hear the last of Elena's words, spoken with such venom that I wondered if she would ever bother learning from her mistakes. It didn't look like her eyes had been opened yet.

"I have a right to speak to her any way I like if she decides to poke her nose in everything. This is family business, Ms. Steele."

Hot waves of anger bamboozled me from the inside out, her words meant to hurt me, reminding me that I was a stranger. I was anything but a stranger, I was the one who made sure Christian bothered to be mature with her even though her behavior was ridiculous, I was the one who made sure that she got to spend time with her daughter tomorrow, I was the one bothering to keep this family together by tolerating Christian's snobby father and his mad ex who was so afraid of losing her one and only child that she attacked anyone she saw as a threat – something I would have been in awe with, if only she wasn't too blind to see that her own mistakes were what made Ellie distance herself from her mother.

Couldn't she see how fucked up it was for a child not to want to spend time with her mother?

Christian, oblivious to my thoughts and inner rage, spat some words at her, trying to hurt her while unbothered by the audience we had, deaf to the cries we soon heard coming from nobody else than Ellie who saw her parents fighting. Grace hurried away to her granddaughter, but not before voicing her disappointment in her son and Elena.

"Whatever problem you two have, I am sure you can find another time to talk about it."

As soon as she had turned her back to us, I finally let my rage free, fed up with their nonsense.

"I wish you two were able to sit down and talk with each other, but you are the most stubborn, most childish and most infuriating people I have ever met!"

"Excuse me?" Elena asked with a raised brow, while Christian's anger seemed to make room for shame. I didn't dare to look into his eyes, fearing that they would make me melt, instead focusing on Elena. Both Carrick and Christian had gotten a verbal ass whooping from me, it seemed like it was now her time.

"You heard me right!" I said firmly, toning my volume down, though, since I wasn't begging for more audience. It was too late to be bothered with privacy now, they had started it in public and if needed I would finish it that way, too.

"You have nothing better to do than fight on a day like this? It was the most important day of her little life. I mean, how could you fuck it up? How couldn't you just stay not fight for once? Is that too much to ask?" I whined, feeling exasperated. We weren't getting anywhere if not all parties were ready to take a second to mull over their faults and maybe even consider taking a step toward humanity by apologizing.

"Ana..." Christian whispered, sounding shocked as he reached for my hand with his. I stepped back, not wanting to touch him right now, not while I was disappointed to the point of anger.

"No! Don't list me excuses now. I thought we had talked about this, Christian? I thought you weren't going to let your ex-wife get underneath your skin?" I asked him with my hands at my hips, watching him bite his lip as he tried to look anywhere but into my eyes.

I scoffed loudly, now turning to Elena who was looking like she had bitten something sour.

"Well, I shouldn't be surprised that you lose your cool since Elena knows best how to trigger the people around her. What surprises me is how she doesn't see that this deconstructive behavior is what will make Ellie distance herself completely once she is old enough."

"Carrick, would you please say something? I don't deserve to be lectured by some teacher." Elena muttered, victory glistening in her eyes as she asked her ex's father for support, so sure of herself that I would have loved to punch that confidence right off her face.

"Dad, don't..." Christian began as he seemed to think that Carrick would scold me for messing with Elena, but to all of our surprises Carrick had something else to say.

"She isn't some teacher, Elena. She is Ana, my son's girlfriend. And she is right in what she says. You need to pull yourself together and act like a grownup for once."

Did the snobby father just protect me?

And I had thought miracles only existed in fairytales.

Elena's grimace didn't hide the shock she must have felt when her one and only ally suddenly told her the cold, harsh truth. It looked like finally the penny in her head dropped, her lips tightly shut as she seemed to gulp down what she had gotten to hear. With her chin as high as always, she mumbled something about excuses before she strutted away, not minding when Christian called her name after her, obviously not finished in what he had to say.

"Let her go. Now is not the time for talking. Or fighting." I muttered with crossed arms, watching him frustratingly tear his hair.

I had to give him credits for looking guilty and ashamed, but that didn't change my disappointment. He had managed to keep his cool only until the point Elena had truly tested his patience, but by losing his temper the seconds things got rough he had lost all good points he had worked hard for.

"Ana, I am sorry. I didn't want this to happen again, but you have heard what she has accused me with."

"I know she has said some fucked up things, but for the love of God, Christian, how many times do I need to tell you that you can't let her get to you? Ellie is crying because of you two! Go be with your daughter now. She needs you." I said firmly, not giving him a chance to say something else before I let him alone with his father.

I didn't even bother checking up on Ellie since I was only human myself and I needed a drama free minute or two. From the corner of my eye I noticed how Carrick dragged Christian to a more private corner, hushed words exchanged in between them, meanwhile Grace had tended Ellie who was smiling through wet eyes again. Elena was nowhere to be seen.

Thanks to the band who had started to play their music louder and to my colleagues tries, the guests seemed to be back to their activities, obviously gossiping through whispers and giggles. The view of mischief in some of their faces alone had my stomach spinning and twirling with disgust, but I decided to look for distraction myself. Kate and Elliott had arrived a little later, missing most of the play since Kate had worked a shift at the restaurant, and while I enjoyed their tries to make me laugh, I couldn't stop sulking internally on what had happened.

I wondered if this would be a tradition from now on, Elena and Christian fighting, Ellie crying and me trying to get it through their thick skulls that they were shooting their own feet with their behavior. I didn't know if I was strong enough to be a part of this without finally exploding myself and God knew Ellie didn't need yet another deconstructive grownup in her life. I had thought I had made Christian see that his anger was his own enemy, but I guessed as long as Elena didn't see that her insecurities were her own demons, I wasn't getting anywhere close to peace. Somehow, I doubted Elena Lincoln was easy to convince that she was taking the lion's share of problems in the Christian-Elena-Ellie drama, but I could do nothing but try.

I loved Christian too much to be a silent bystander. My love for him was the only reason why I bothered with his stubbornness.

Arms encircled me from behind, a chin on my shoulder as a soft kiss was pressed against my throat. I melted against his body, all the trouble around us and inside my head shutting up as I smiled, his whispered words more honest than anything he could have said loudly.

"I am sorry."

And I knew he truly was.

Elliott and Kate excused themselves to the buffet – it had quickly become the day's favorite spot -, leaving us alone at their table, Christian sitting across from me, his hands grasping mine. He looked down at our fingers as he teased me with his.

"How is Ellie?" I asked softly, my skin tingling underneath his touch.

"Better. I talked to her and so did Elena."

"Oh." I let out surprised since I had assumed Elena had left the building. "What did you talk about?"

"The obvious." He said with a nervous chuckle. "How we fucked up. Big time."

"Mhh. That you have." I said, trying not to sound judgmental. I was going for supportive instead.

"I mean, obviously just talking won't do anyone a favor, but for starters it was good. Elena wasn't... _Elena_ at least. She never is toward Ellie."

"She loves her daughter." I nodded to myself, today's events once again making it obvious that Elena was only insecure.

"I never doubted that. But she sticks her nose into everyone's business just because she doesn't get to be the center of attention." Christian said with an annoyed sigh, shaking his head.

"Do you really think that's her problem? Just wanting attention?" I asked, biting my lip, as he gave me a puzzled look.

"What else could it be? Isn't it obvious? She can't bare being left out."

"Christian, I don't think this is about being left out. This is only because she fears to lose Ellie to me, to you, to anyone. She must feel insecure if she doesn't hesitate to attack me or anyone like that."

"Then tell me how to deal with someone like that? I can't take a step toward her if she keeps pushing back!" He let out with desperation in his voice. His anger wasn't the only thing standing in the way, as long as Elena didn't man up they were nowhere near tolerating each other.

"I believe that as long as she doesn't know how to deal with herself, you won't be able to make progress."

The sad moment following was interrupted by the band for once not playing kids music and asking the parents for a dance. Christian was, as always, a perfect gentleman, leading me to the area in front of the stage where we joined others for a dance or two. It was fun, even though my head was busy with thoughts, Elena never leaving the back of my mind. My mood took a nosedive when I spotted her sitting alone at a table, watching Ellie who was dancing with her grandmother and grandfather from afar. It was a heartbreaking sight, seeing her secluded from everyone, her sadness of course self-induced but still I couldn't stop feeling sorry for her.

Even Elena Lincoln deserved mercy and pity.

It was easy for me to distract Christian with Ellie, the two of them soon enough dancing which was a rather cute sight, my destination nowhere else than Elena's table. It seemed like we were going to have a showdown - I would of course make sure that it was civil and quiet – in between dancing people, kids running around and the joyful laughter of happy people. I hoped our surroundings had a positive effect on where our conversation would head to – a utopic future in which we coexisted and tolerated each other like grown adults.

On my way to her, determined to talk to her like Christian should have done if he wasn't so sensitive to her childish stubbornness, I grabbed a plate of donuts for us, in my mind jelly filled donuts a nice way to offer peace.

She screwed up her nose, though, looking at the colorful sprinkled pastries with disgust visible on her pretty face. The skin underneath her eyes was reddish, making me wonder if she had shed any tears.

"Don't like donuts?" I joked, heartily biting into one as I sat opposite of her. It tasted delicious.

"Not particularly." Elena said with one raised brow, obviously waiting for an explanation from me.

"Well, I love them."

"Why should I care about that?"

 _Here we go._

I sent a last prayer to the guy above, before I looked for my next words. It was best to be honest with her.

"I have to be honest with you. When we first met, I didn't particularly like you. Especially since you threatened me within our first real conversation." I said with a pointed look, surprised when she had the grace to look guilty. "Of course, back then I interpreted your threats as being jealous, maybe wanting your ex back. It made me feel like shit since you are annoyingly good looking and even more brilliant, although you tend to be a super bitch."

"Thanks for that sincere compliment." She muttered with pursed lips, defensive as always.

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms on the table in between us, continuing my talk by ignoring her comment.

"I thought _crap she wants her husband back and I am totally in her way_. God knew I expected you to stab me with a rusty fork and make it look like an accident. Christian wasn't helping since he refused to talk about you which made me think that maybe he still had feelings for you. So, I was stuck between being in love with this awesome guy I had met and fearing that I could lose him to you any moment now, your behavior toward me making me anxious and Carrick was out for blood, too, it seemed. Ironically, it was his words what made me wonder if this wasn't about Ellie instead. He told me to know my place and not to interfere in Ellie's relationship with her mother, something I would never do by the way, so I thought maybe Elena isn't looking for a way to get Christian back. I thought maybe you are looking for a way to make sure nobody takes away your daughter from you."

"You seem to have figured me out. Do you want a medal or something?"

"I am trying to have an honest, mature conversation here. Would you please at least try to tone down the sarcasm? Trust me, it can only be advantageous to you."

"You won't believe this, but in a way, I really do care about you. Christian is my life now and Ellie is a big part of that, too. You are a big, important part of hers, so you affect me and my life. Therefore, it is only logical for me to care about you."

"Well, I don't care if you do or not."

I giggled, shaking my head. Her brow twitched up to her forehead as she regarded me with a bland look.

"Okay, if that's how you want this to go. Fine. Maybe personally I don't give a shit or two about you, maybe personally we are as alien as it gets, but the harsh truth is that we care for the same person and for the sake of that person's happiness, I think we should sign a peace accord or something."

"Trust me, Ms. Steele, but I don't bother spending a second of my day thinking about you. I don't see why we should sign anything related to peace." She commented dryly, making me roll my eyes again.

"You think about Ellie, though. You think about how Ellie prefers to spend time with me and her father rather than with you. You think about how this is all my fault or Christian's and you somehow refuse to believe that your own behavior is what makes Ellie distant herself." I said, hitting a nerve obviously since she threw daggers at me with her eyes.

"Why do I have to keep reminding you that this is none of your business?"

"And why do I have to keep reminding you that it is in fact my business since your stupidity affect me, too?"

"I know best how to care for my daughter. I don't need your help or support." She spat out, her neck reddening with angry spots.

"Then tell me why things aren't working in your favor?" I asked with one raised brow, daring her to disagree. "If you know best, why isn't your tactic working?"

I was surprised how bold I was, more surprised that we got to have privacy without being interrupted, but this needed to happen. I was Christian's lover, his confidante, I had no problem in fighting his battles for him, especially the ones he had problems with.

"Ellie will understand that I did everything because I love her when she grows older. I already told her that I am sorry for the fight today, I hadn't meant to ruin her special day."

"That might be not enough, Elena. Words are nice to hear, but empty if they aren't followed by actions."

"That's a nice quote. Where did you find it? Pinterest?" She mocked me, trying to get me to lose my temper, but I was above that.

"No, experience is where I got that wisdom from. My relationship to my mother isn't exactly what you would call traditional. She is the more carefree one of us, always has been that way which made her more like my sister than my mother while growing up. When I was old enough, it was easy for her to replace me with husbands, numerous of them since she is a born romantic and an easy spirit who falls in love far too easily. I knew she loved me and I loved her, too, but she didn't feel like a mother and soon enough we grew distant." I gulped down the sadness I felt at the mention of my mother, wishing that our relationship could have been better but as a child you could only give as much as your parent took from you – it was also that way the other way around, of course.

"What has that to do with me and Ellie?" Elena asked, the coldness gone from her voice at least. Her defensive posture didn't seem to drop, though.

"You and my mother are as different as it gets, of course. But in a way, I feel like you will have the same fate as us if you don't manage to change paths. Ellie is so young, yet she notices all of the drama happening around her, you have seen how she can hold a grudge yourself. Don't you think she will be more attentive the older she gets? What will she think of her mother if she sees how you manipulate the people around you? The other parents, even Carrick, you have manipulated them all or maybe even threatened them like you did with me once. Don't you think Ellie will be disappointed with you because of all of that?" I couldn't stop my voice from trembling as I was flooded with anguish, not wanting Ellie to have a future like that.

Elena's eyes widened for a second, her expression tumbling with insecurities, before she quietly barked her words at me.

"Why do you think I had to do all of that? I wanted my daughter happy. With me."

"You make it look like you are only granting your daughter happiness if it is in a way and form you allow."

"Don't make me look like a cruel mother, Anastasia." Elena said in a warning tone, even raising her finger toward me, her nails manicured perfectly. "I want my daughter happy. Do you think I would have let her with Christian if I wasn't sure that she can have a better family life with him? Do you think I wouldn't have applied for custody if I didn't know that her father could give her a more stable life than me? I want her happy with whoever she is."

"Then why did you try to sabotage our play?" I asked desperately. If she wanted her daughter happy, that she would have let us have our normal play. I had thought insecurities were the reason why she had tried to mess with me, maybe I was wrong, God knew she wasn't easy to read face to face. "And don't tell me something about traditional fairytales. That was a bullshit excuse."

Elena opened her mouth to fire back a witty comment probably, a sigh leaving her lips instead as she clenched her jaw. She looked uncomfortable.

"Because I didn't want to lose my daughter to you, okay?" She let out fiercely, looking ashamed afterward. "I mean, I didn't want to... be replaced or something."

"Replaced?" I gasped, suddenly my suspicions becoming true. "By me? Are you insane?"

"What was I supposed to think? My daughter can't stop talking about you since the day you met, then you start dating my ex-husband which leads to you spending more time with my daughter and then you write a play she is so fascinated with that she keeps praising you." She said with loud sigh, lips trembling. Her eyes looked up as she gulped down hardly.

"And you thought ruining the play she was so excited about was the best way to make sure she loses interest in me?"

"I never said that it was a good plan."

I couldn't suppress the chuckle coming out of my mouth, earning an eye roll.

"I'm sorry, it really isn't funny, but I... it is funny."

"Enjoy my misery."

If she hadn't been such a bitch to me in the past, I would have enjoyed her sarcasm.

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? What did you think? That by writing a play or by being Christian's new girlfriend I could replace you in Ellie's life? I am not her mother, I never could be, and she already has a mother who loves her. I can only be her friend if she lets me."

It seemed like her latest confession had loosened Elena's tongue since she suddenly bamboozled me with her words, sincere emotions crossing her face as she revealed the insecurities that I had suspected.

"I don't want to lose my daughter. I know I haven't been the best example of a mother lately but seeing her with you and Christian has made me realize that I could lose her any moment. I confess I have looked for someone else to blame, even though I was aware of my mistakes, that way it was easier. And in my desperation, things got out of hand and I did things I am not entirely proud of."

"I know you did it because you feared to lose your daughter. For that I don't blame you. But it's you who can affect Ellie's decision to be close to you or not." I interrupted her slowly, earning a nod as a sign of understanding maybe, or maybe appreciating my words. One could only hope and wonder.

"I have done terrible mistakes in the past. I didn't have the courage to end my failing marriage, I chose to betray my husband instead, not thinking about my daughter and how it would affect her. I have built my empire on the tears and neglects of the people I love which makes it so much harder to be proud of my work. I have done so many things I am not proud of, but Ellie is my masterpiece. And I know Christian has raised her more than I did, but still I look at her and see something I can be proud about without feeling guilty. She is my baby and I don't want to lose her." Her voice quivered as she shyly looked down to her hands, fingers tugging on each other, her confidence from earlier gone.

"Nobody can take her away from you. You are the only one who can make her distant herself if you don't try harder to be the mother she deserves and the mother I know you secretly are. I can't and I never would take her away from you. I could never replace you, I can just love Ellie equally because she is the daughter of the man I love." I gulped down the tears that suddenly attacked me from the inside out, my heart clenching with pain as I really saw the fear she was fighting of losing her daughter, a mother afraid of herself and what she could be if she wasn't careful, a mother who was ready to change maybe even if it was hard.

"I can't do anything to change your decisions, Elena. I can only give you my word of how I will never be between you and Ellie as long as I am sure that you love her and that she is safe with you." I whispered, a single drop of tear suddenly running down her cheek, her eyes looking anywhere but at me out of embarrassment. "All I can do is hope that you change your behavior for the sake of your daughter. Look how happy she is."

Our eyes both looked to where Ellie was being swirled around in her father's arms, her laughter loud and high, a moment so tender happening in front of our eyes.

"You have a place in that picture, just like I do. Wouldn't Ellie be happier if the grownups around her are mature and polite? And preferably don't try to sabotage each other's plans."

Suddenly a hand grasped mine, making me let out a tiny gasp.

A sincere look was on Elena's face as she said her next words, looking more human than ever.

"I'm sorry for what I have done to you, to Christian, to everyone. It was nothing personal, now you know why."

"I'm not the person to hold a grudge. But for the sake of all of our patience, maybe you could try to be nicer to everyone in the future. And maybe stop blaming everyone." I said jokingly, earning a small smile.

"I can promise to try."

"That's enough, really."

Underneath the heaty sun of August and in between oblivious bystanders, Elena and I managed to cause a miracle: we concluded peace like two mature adults. It was more than I had hoped for, I hadn't expected us to be best friends anytime soon and I doubted we would ever be, but as long as all parties did their best to give the brilliant little girl a life she deserved, I had nothing to nag about.

It was rare moments like this which made life so precious. Stubborn people forgetting their pride for the happiness of an innocence, hearts forgiving hearts, hurting words remedied with good actions starting with an honest promise of peace.

It was what had made me fall in love with Christian even more.

A man who was willing to try his best for his daughter, his flaws never something he was proud about, his heart big enough to forgive his ex and wish her a better life.

A man who was ready to give and never take, selfless and passionate in his relationships, full of mercy, yet determined to be fair.

A man who made me feel confident in my skin, complimenting my wit and beauty, making me feel loved in the way he cared for everyone around him.

A man who saved me from me sometimes, a man who needed to be saved from himself, too.

We weren't perfect, we were imperfect, yet we were we and that was all that counted.

My heart was flooded with love. My love for my friends, Andrea, Leila and even Jose. My love for my parents, even though my mother was more like a sister. My love for Ellie, the precious little girl I was cherishing like life itself from now on. And my love for Christian, the man i had been waiting for without knowing what was missing in my life.

Tears streamed down my face as we applauded the kids getting their degrees later that day, Leila handing them the envelopes with a big smile on her face.

"I heard she has a girlfriend." I heard Mrs. Brown whisper behind me to no one else than Elena, my mood taking a nosedive, only Christian's arm around me preventing me from tackling that bitch to the ground. It was rude of her to ruin my day like this, but surprisingly I didn't need to handle her.

"We are in 2018, Annabeth. Act like it." Elena hushed coolly, shutting Mrs. Brown up like a pro. I suppressed the urge to high five her.

When it was Ellie's turn on the stage, I nearly lost myself, crying like a baby as we cheered her. If that little girl hadn't been, I never would have Christian Grey.

As soon as Ellie was down from the stage, excitedly making her way toward us, Christian twirled me around, a mischief fueled grin on his heated cheeks. My heart went bonkers when he whispered his next words.

"I guess you aren't my kid's teacher anymore, Ms. Steele." He noted dryly, kissing me on my lips before I could respond, all thoughts forgotten as soon as our lips touched. I was flying above the clouds with my feet still on the ground, my heart bound to his.

"I guess that makes kissing me no more a question of morals." I said out of breath when we let go off each other, my ears burning.

"Aren't we lucky?" Christian asked and, just like it all had started, winking at me.

A wink for life.

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Daddy C's ass belongs to Anastasia Steele. Sorry, ladies ;)**

 **Oh man.**

 **It's over for real. I guess now is the time to shed some tears, but I will let Daddy C go without wetting his shirt.**

 **He has grown on all of us, he carries a piece of my soul inside him just like all my stories do. God knows this is far from perfect, but it's me, it's me uncensored, it's everything for me. I hope I have touched something inside all of you, I hope you enjoyed the months in which I made you wait. Oops. Sorry about that.**

 **Patience and all :D**

 **Farewell, Daddy C. I hope you find happiness.**

 **This was all fluff and fun. Now is time for tougher things. Buckle up ;)**

 **xoxo Melii**

 **P.S.: If you want to find out what's next on my agenda, add me on Facebook '** Meli Littlebadhero **' and join my Facebook group called** Patience of a Saint.


End file.
